RUNDU – The inaugural Bidvest Namibia Cup’s top goal scorer, Alpheus Ngwezi, is demanding his top goal scorer’s award of N$25 000, which is yet to be paid to him some three months after the tournament ended.
The final of the Bidvest Namibia Cup, which was played on 1 June this year, was won by African Stars Football Club, the team claiming a whopping N$500 000.
The top goal scorer was supposed to get N$25 000.
Ngwezi, 24, who previously played for Rundu-based premiership outfit Rundu Chiefs Football Club, was the Bidvest Cup’s top goal scorer with six goals.
The former Rundu Chief’s midfield maestro, affectionately known in the local football circles as ‘Charlie’, was twice voted as ‘man-of-the-match’ during the tourney and won a cash prize of N$4 000 as a result. That money was paid into his account immediately after the tournament ended.
Ngwezi told Nampa during an interview yesterday that he feels robbed and cheated as he has not been awarded the money, which was promised to him. He said it seems like the local football governing body and the sponsors are both washing their hands and pointing fingers at each other.
The unemployed sportsman, who says he depends on football for a living, is now wondering why it is taking so long for either the Namibian Football Association (NFA) or the Bidvest Company to pay his prize money, despite having sent them his banking details at the beginning of June this year.
“I feel discriminated just because I am from the regions. If that award was won by a player from Windhoek, they would have paid him a long time ago,” said the visibly agitated Ngwezi, who will be playing for the newly promoted Rundu-based United Stars football club this season.
Approached for comment, an officer at the Bidvest Company’s Public Relations department who only identified herself as Natasha, told this reporter to contact the NFA because all the money for that tournament was transferred into their (NFA’s) bank account.
Natasha said the NFA is the one that deals with the funds and that Bidvest Company was just the sponsor.
NFA Administrator Titus Kunamwene told Nampa yesterday that he will contact Ngwezi’s former club, Rundu Chiefs, so that he can follow up on what transpired.
He explained that the football body only deals with the club and not players, but could neither confirm nor deny whether the top goal scorer’s prize money has been paid out. He only kept insisting that he will do a follow up.
Rundu Chiefs’ team manager, Nauyoma Oiva Sikwaya also washed off his hands in this matter, saying the money must have been paid into the player’s account and not into the team’s account.
It is now unclear as to who has the prize money for the Bidvest Namibia Cup top goal scorer. -Nampa
