NFA to make N$15m reward decision

The Namibia Football Association (NFA) executive council will meet at Gobabis on 31 March to discuss, among others, the controversy around N$15 million received from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The funds are Namibia’s reward for reaching the round of 16 at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) held in Ivory Coast in January and February.

Animosity is brewing between the NFA and the Brave Warriors over the utilisation of the prize money, which the latter have laid claim to. Through their legal representative, Kadhila Amoomo Legal Practitioners, the Brave Warriors wrote to the NFA on Monday, demanding that the federation keep to an agreement signed between NFA vice president Markus Murs and the players on 10 January regarding the disbursement of royalties from Afcon 2023.

In terms of the said agreement, the NFA agreed to engage the players in accordance with the conditions set out in the agreement and the players agreed to do so.

The poignant clause of the agreement states: “In case of sponsorship or rewards of any kind to the team during the tournament, the benefits shall be equally shared among the players and technical staff.”

In an interview with Desert Radio earlier this week, NFA president Robert Shimooshili said the NFA executive council has engaged its members, sponsors, the government and other relevant stakeholders regarding the contentious N$15 million.

He said the council will make a decision on the funds’ usage on the sidelines of the Nedbank Namibia Newspaper Cup.

A press briefing was held on the resolutions taken, as well as a reflection on the 100-days in office for the executive council.

“We have consulted, but the last decision lies with the NFA executive council. The football leadership will meet on 31 March, where a decision will be taken and communicated to the Namibian public, including the players,” Shimooshili said.

Weighing in on the matter, football consultant Olsen Kahiriri said the International Federation of Football Associations (Fifa) already allocates finances to its member associations for football development and that the prize money should be shared by the Brave Warriors.

“That is why Fifa is responsible for the first and second divisions, because those are developmental leagues. The premier league ought to be financed and administered by outside forces,” Kahiriri said.

“Normally the football associations report to Fifa on what developmental projects they have embarked on with the world football body’s money.

“Why would you want to take the N$15 mil- lion and plough it back into the development of football?”

The excommunicated secretary general of the now defunct Namibia Football Players Union said: “I will not blame anyone trying to engage in discussions with the NFA for them to benefit from the N$15 million.”