Judge Damaseb goes for Cosafa presidency

NAMIBIA’S Judge President Petrus Damaseb will vie for the Confederation of Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa) presidency with other two candidates when the elections are held next month in Botswana.

Damaseb, who is the former president of the Namibia Football Association (NFA), and currently vice president of Cosafa, is a nominee for the top position and will line up against Zambian football legend Kalusha Bwalya and Sekute Patel from the Seychelles. The three candidates are said to have filed their nominations ahead of the deadline on Wednesday this week.Damaseb called it quits on national level about five months ago, but kept on serving as Cosafa vice president, while he is also the vice chairman of the Fifa Ethics Committee.Damaseb has a vast knowledge of the game, especially on the legal front, while his travels around the globe have made him popular with a lot of football heavyweights, especially within Fifa.At times difficult with the media, Damaseb led the NFA with a non-nonsense approach and his biggest milestone is the N$45 million sponsorship deal he landed for domestic football for the next five years.Former Cosafa president Ismael Bhamjee stepped down after he was involved in a ticket-sale scam during the World Cup in Germany this year, also prompting him to quit his position on Fifa at the request of Sepp Blatter, who is the head of the world football governing body.Bhamjee, who also had to resign as CAF executive member, was Cosafa president for the past ten years and was given another five years in 2005.The new Cosafa president will be elected on December 2.The three candidates are said to have filed their nominations ahead of the deadline on Wednesday this week.Damaseb called it quits on national level about five months ago, but kept on serving as Cosafa vice president, while he is also the vice chairman of the Fifa Ethics Committee.Damaseb has a vast knowledge of the game, especially on the legal front, while his travels around the globe have made him popular with a lot of football heavyweights, especially within Fifa.At times difficult with the media, Damaseb led the NFA with a non-nonsense approach and his biggest milestone is the N$45 million sponsorship deal he landed for domestic football for the next five years.Former Cosafa president Ismael Bhamjee stepped down after he was involved in a ticket-sale scam during the World Cup in Germany this year, also prompting him to quit his position on Fifa at the request of Sepp Blatter, who is the head of the world football governing body.Bhamjee, who also had to resign as CAF executive member, was Cosafa president for the past ten years and was given another five years in 2005.The new Cosafa president will be elected on December 2.