NFA faces legal action

THE Namibia Football Association (NFA) faces possible legal action by the Collin Benjamin Football Academy after it failed to hand over the gate takings of close to N$200 000 from a match between Namibia and South Africa about two months ago.

The academy, headed by its chairman Nico //Hoabeb, is said to be preparing for a court showdown with the NFA, which allegedly failed to account for the number of tickets sold and the gate takings during the international friendly between the Brave Warriors and Bafana Bafana played at the Sam Nujoma Stadium on August 16. A source from the academy told The Namibian Sport yesterday that the academy had asked the NFA to take charge at the gates and collect fees for the match.The money was supposed to be paid over to the academy the following day, but this never happened, the sourceß says.It says several attempts by the academy to enquire about the money and to arrange meetings with the NFA were ignored.Yesterday, NFA secretary general Alpheus Gaweseb said the matter was being looked into, adding that both parties were consulting with their lawyers.”We are ironing out the misunderstanding, while we are at the same time working with our respective lawyers to reach a compromise.We started with the consultations with the academy last week and we are still in the process.This matter is delicate and we want to handle it correctly to eventually find a solution to it,” he said.According to the source, the NFA is at fault because they did not account for the money as agreed, and it was strange that the NFA was consulting its lawyers on the use.He said it was suspected that the NFA had used the money for other purposes, such as paying its overdue telephone account.The association is said to have owed Telecom Namibia about N$30 000.When contacted yesterday, //Hoabeb said the academy expected to meet NFA officials on the issue.”I am surprised that they want to take the legal route because we agreed that we would meet and discuss the issue soon,” he said.However, //Hoabeb said the issue had been going on for too long and if not resolved, legal action could not be ruled out.He said the academy, which has been in operation for about two years, does not want to be associated with legal wrangles and it would be in the interest of the two parties to reach consensus.”This is a young academy and it will be suicidal for it to be open to any sort of confrontation,” he said.The academy arranged the accommodation and flights of the South African team, which narrowly beat the Brave Warriors 1-0 in a midweek match.The academy is believed to have spent over N$70 000 on costs incurred by the visiting team.The academy, of which football agent Jakes Amaning is the co-ordinator, also paid the referees and the rent of the stadium.The match was supposed to be a fundraiser for the academy, which was established by Namibian professional footballer Collin Benjamin, who plays for Hamburg in the German Bundesliga.The academy has a development programme that aims to hone the talents of many youths in especially Windhoek, with Old Mutual as its main sponsor.A source from the academy told The Namibian Sport yesterday that the academy had asked the NFA to take charge at the gates and collect fees for the match.The money was supposed to be paid over to the academy the following day, but this never happened, the sourceß says.It says several attempts by the academy to enquire about the money and to arrange meetings with the NFA were ignored.Yesterday, NFA secretary general Alpheus Gaweseb said the matter was being looked into, adding that both parties were consulting with their lawyers.”We are ironing out the misunderstanding, while we are at the same time working with our respective lawyers to reach a compromise.We started with the consultations with the academy last week and we are still in the process.This matter is delicate and we want to handle it correctly to eventually find a solution to it,” he said.According to the source, the NFA is at fault because they did not account for the money as agreed, and it was strange that the NFA was consulting its lawyers on the use.He said it was suspected that the NFA had used the money for other purposes, such as paying its overdue telephone account.The association is said to have owed Telecom Namibia about N$30 000.When contacted yesterday, //Hoabeb said the academy expected to meet NFA officials on the issue.”I am surprised that they want to take the legal route because we agreed that we would meet and discuss the issue soon,” he said.However, //Hoabeb said the issue had been going on for too long and if not resolved, legal action could not be ruled out.He said the academy, which has been in operation for about two years, does not want to be associated with legal wrangles and it would be in the interest of the two parties to reach consensus.”This is a young academy and it will be suicidal for it to be open to any sort of confrontation,” he said.The academy arranged the accommodation and flights of the South African team, which narrowly beat the Brave Warriors 1-0 in a midweek match.The academy is believed to have spent over N$70 000 on costs incurred by the visiting team.The academy, of which football agent Jakes Amaning is the co-ordinator, also paid the referees and the rent of the stadium.The match was supposed to be a fundraiser for the academy, which was established by Namibian professional footballer Collin Benjamin, who plays for Hamburg in the German Bundesliga.The academy has a development programme that aims to hone the talents of many youths in especially Windhoek, with Old Mutual as its main sponsor.