The Namibia Football Association (NFA) has accused the CEO of Debmarine Namibia, Willy Mertens, of tarnishing their image and defamation of character following their public spat that burst into the open this week.
Following the conclusion of the 2024/25 Debmarine Namibia Premiership and prize-giving ceremony on Saturday, Mertens issued a statement the next day, saying that they did not feel respected or valued by the NFA leadership.
“Our wish is that the NFA leadership, although absent today, would start to value, respect and appreciate sponsors, and put the development of football, the welfare of the players, and the interest of the clubs above their personal objectives,” he said.
“We, at Debmarine Namibia, as a sponsor, certainly did not feel respected and valued by the NFA leadership – especially over the past two years. Only then will we move football forward in this country,” he added.
The NFA yesterday, however, issued a statement through its interim general secretary, Cassius Moetie, saying that Mertens’ statements tarnished the NFA’s reputation.
“The Namibia Football Association wishes to inform its members, its clubs, its players, its sponsors, key stakeholders, and the public that it was caught by surprise by the regrettable statement by Willy Mertens.
“While we, at the NFA, value our partnership with Debmarine Namibia, certain assertions made by Mertens misrepresent the character and stature of the association. Left unaddressed, these inaccuracies risk unjustly tarnishing the NFA’s reputation and the upward trajectory of Namibian football,” Moetie said.
Moetie said that the NFA operates under ‘clearly defined principles and objectives,’ and that the sponsorship funds from Debmarine Namibia ‘have always been allocated strictly in accordance with the agreed terms, ensuring that the intended beneficiaries, players, coaches, and officials receive their due support.’
“Our strategic direction is guided by internal governance processes. While the NFA president already addressed this matter, the association reiterates its commitment to pursuing its objectives without external pressure or undue interference,” he added.
Moetie also took issue with Mertens’ statement that the NFA leadership was absent at the prize-giving ceremony.
“In the unavoidable absence of the NFA president and vice president, the NFA was represented by executive council members Michael Situde and Laurence Kandundu, with myself, as the interim general secretary. It is particularly disconcerting that such statements were made at the NFA awards ceremony at which event Debmarine Namibia participated as an NFA sponsor,” Moetie said.
“We find the suggestion that the NFA disrespected Debmarine Namibia both surprising and regrettable. Our sponsorship agreement creates a contractual framework for protocols of internal engagement, at which platforms Debmarine Namibia could express its views to find amicable outcomes, but certainly not in public. This was below the belt,” Moetie added.
Moetie further rejected the allegation that the NFA leadership prioritised personal objectives over the welfare of clubs, players, and referees.
“These claims are defamation of character of the NFA leadership that have a direct impact on the NFA brand with its football products we sell to potential sponsors,” he said.
When approached for a comment yesterday, Debmarine Namibia through its communication manager, Stella Ipinge, clarified that the disrespect felt was as a result of the way in which the association handled the last match of the 2024/25 (Young African vs African Stars) season, in that the NFA changed the kickoff time without notification to the sponsor.
“We hosted the VIP booth for stakeholders and communicated the match starting time as 16h00 as confirmed by the NFA. We arrived at the stadium on time but learned that the game had been moved to 17h30 without notifying us about the late kickoff,” she said.
Regarding the absence of the NFA leadership at the prize-giving, she said Debmarine Namibia was referring to their top brass.
“We were unhappy about the absence of the NFA’s top leadership without informing us – the president and the vice president, who were also not present at the 2023/24 prize giving and the launch of the 2024/25 league,” she said.
Ipinge confirmed that their three-year sponsorship with the NFA, which amounted to about N$50 million in total, had now come to an end and the NFA is aware of the conditions which they committed to in November 2024 under which Debmarine Namibia would consider renewing the sponsorship, but so far Debmarine Namibia has not been approached by the NFA.
NFA president Robert Shimooshili yesterday confirmed via WhatsApp that they hoped to continue with the sponsorship.
“That’s what all the Namibian football personnel want; it is the wish of the entire nation to have this sponsorship renewed,” he said.
