Muinjo to head NFA

JOHN Muinjo was elected as the new president of the Namibia Football Association (NFA), beating rival Hendrik Dawids by nine votes to six on Saturday.

The election was nearly derailed after a scuffle erupted between two officials from the Otjozondjupa Region, who argued about which candidate they should vote for. The incident, which temporarily brought the voting process to a halt, was “extremely shocking”, according to the Special Delegate of Fifa, Jerome Champagne, who was present.The incident saw the disabled Otjozondjupa chairman Manfred Boois being shoved from his wheelchair while the elections were in progress.He left the room in tears after the incident, but returned to continue with the voting in other categories.”I have never seen this before.I have travelled all over the world, but never seen this before.This is very unfortunate.If these fights keep on happening in Namibian football, we as Fifa might be forced to take action in the future,” Champagne said.Despite that, he said he was generally happy with the election process and that the next step would be a review of the NFA’s constitution.The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) barred journalists from the conference hall while the elections were in progress.The vice president will be Korbinian Viscaya Amutenya, while the new treasurer is Kornelius Kwela Kapenda.Kapenda was competing against Walter Kameeta for the position, which was vacated by Tjeripo Pro Rijatua before the elections.The executive committee members are Matthew Kalihonda, Jacqueline Gertze, Immanuel Nangolo, Isaack Fredericks, Patrick Mwilima and Vaino Amukwa.Fredericks, Mwilima and Amukwa will be serving for the first time, while the others were on the previous committee, with Muinjo in an acting capacity as president, after Judge President Petrus Tileinge Damaseb resigned.Fifa development officer Ashford Mamelodi also attended the congress.The election was delayed by close to two hours after the Omaheke Region also did not have consensus on who they should vote for.Meanwhile, Willie Swarts, the chairman of the Southern Stream First Division, abstained from taking part in the election, describing it as pre-determined.Swarts, who was in the Dawids camp, voted for the presidency, but did not vote for the other positions.He claimed that the winners of the elections were pre-determined and he was not interested in being associated with people who do not have principles.”I am very disappointed by the whole process.I just wish to state that I will still continue serving football in whatever capacity.The only people who will get me out of this game will be Fifa, that is if they expel me,” he said after claiming that Fifa was also corrupt.He said this after Champagne asked him to apologise for claiming that he had spotted several flaws on the part of the EIC in the run-up to the election His complaints were quashed by Champagne, who said that the election process could not be held hostage by Swarts.The incident, which temporarily brought the voting process to a halt, was “extremely shocking”, according to the Special Delegate of Fifa, Jerome Champagne, who was present.The incident saw the disabled Otjozondjupa chairman Manfred Boois being shoved from his wheelchair while the elections were in progress.He left the room in tears after the incident, but returned to continue with the voting in other categories.”I have never seen this before.I have travelled all over the world, but never seen this before.This is very unfortunate.If these fights keep on happening in Namibian football, we as Fifa might be forced to take action in the future,” Champagne said.Despite that, he said he was generally happy with the election process and that the next step would be a review of the NFA’s constitution.The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) barred journalists from the conference hall while the elections were in progress.The vice president will be Korbinian Viscaya Amutenya, while the new treasurer is Kornelius Kwela Kapenda.Kapenda was competing against Walter Kameeta for the position, which was vacated by Tjeripo Pro Rijatua before the elections.The executive committee members are Matthew Kalihonda, Jacqueline Gertze, Immanuel Nangolo, Isaack Fredericks, Patrick Mwilima and Vaino Amukwa.Fredericks, Mwilima and Amukwa will be serving for the first time, while the others were on the previous committee, with Muinjo in an acting capacity as president, after Judge President Petrus Tileinge Damaseb resigned.Fifa development officer Ashford Mamelodi also attended the congress.The election was delayed by close to two hours after the Omaheke Region also did not have consensus on who they should vote for.Meanwhile, Willie Swarts, the chairman of the Southern Stream First Division, abstained from taking part in the election, describing it as pre-determined.Swarts, who was in the Dawids camp, voted for the presidency, but did not vote for the other positions.He claimed that the winners of the elections were pre-determined and he was not interested in being associated with people who do not have principles.”I am very disappointed by the whole process.I just wish to state that I will still continue serving football in whatever capacity.The only people who will get me out of this game will be Fifa, that is if they expel me,” he said after claiming that Fifa was also corrupt.He said this after Champagne asked him to apologise for claiming that he had spotted several flaws on the part of the EIC in the run-up to the election His complaints were quashed by Champagne, who said that the election process could not be held hostage by Swarts.