NAMIBIAN football achieved a special milestone on Tuesday with the announcement that Stacey Naris has been appointed as a board member of the African division of the International Federation of Professional Footballers (Fifpro).
Naris’ appointment follows a recommendation by Stephane Burchkalter, the secretary general of Division Africa, while the Namibia Football Players Union (Nafpu) also played an important role, according to its president Lolo Goraseb.
“There were a lot of behind the scenes discussions – Fifpro identified the candidates who were eligible for the post, and then there was a long process of discussions with Division Africa, before they finally appointed her last week,” he said at a press conference in Windhoek on Tuesday.
Naris said the appointment came out of the blue and caught her by surprise.
“Just after the Brave Gladiators’ home match against Zimbabwe last week the secretary general of Nafpu, Olsen Kahiriri told me he had the best news of my life. When he told me, I was astounded and amazed, I never expected that,” she said.
Naris is a member of the national Brave Gladiators squad and first represented Namibia at youth level at the age of 13. In 2014 she joined Nafpu as a member and the following year was employed by the union.
“I took a gamble with what I love the most, which is football, and today I bear the fruits. Not only am I still part of the senior women’s national team, but I am also the players’ representative of the team,” she said.
“In my view, women in sport defy the misperception that they are weak or incapable. Every time they clear a hurdle or kick a ball they demonstrate not only physical strength, but also leadership and strategic thinking,” she added.
“This is a historic moment and proof that we are moving in the right direction,” Goraseb said.
“Recently we witnessed the appointment of Bience Gawanas as the special advisor on Africa for the United Nations, and Ebba Kalondo who was last year appointed as the Africa Union spokesperson. Stacey has now joined them on the international stage and we are very proud of her,” he said.
Kahiriri said their aim was to improve the prosperity of the players and concluded that with Naris’ appointment, it was on track. She will be sitting on Fifpro’s board at the highest level, where she will rub shoulders with the likes of the honorary president of Division Africa, Didier Drogba and other board members like Anthony Baffoe of Ghana, Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe of South Africa and Geremi Nijtap of Cameroon.
“Stacey will now be travelling a lot, but luckily it wont be at our expense. We want results, but I know you can deliver. But this is just the beginning and we have bigger things planned for women’s football,” he said.
Naris said her biggest aim would be to establish a professional women’s league in Namibia.
“Women’s football in Namibia is very important to me and I will strive to help establish a professional women’s league in Namibia,” she said.
The secretary general of the Namibia Football Association, Barry Rukoro said it was a proud moment for Namibian football.
“It’s a proud moment for the game of football in Namibia and for the emancipation of women in the whole country. It was not easy to achieve this and I must congratulate Nafpu for the hard work and lobbying they put in behind the scenes,” he said.
“You will represent the whole of Africa so do so with pride and commitment and a strong sense of responsibility,” he added.
Rukoro added that his cooperation with his Nafpu counterpart Olsen was improving.
“In the past few months we have started to move closer towards each other which has been heartwarming for me. The aggression has decreased and we have started to discuss things with an open mind and no preconceptions. I have reason to believe that will continue and that it will ultimately benefit the players,” he said.
