Outgoing Fifa normalisation committee (NC) chairman Bisey Uirab has called on the Namibian Football Association’s (NFA) new leadership to prioritise filling vacant positions in the football body.
Speaking to Desert Radio recently, Uirab, whose term comes to an end on 30 November, said the committee have put in place the necessary administrative measures to ensure effective administration.
“Obviously, it is a work in progress and I believe the team under the leadership of Robert Shimooshili will continue to restructure the organisation and make sure that they fill some of the vacant positions.
“Some vacancies are those of the financial manager and coaches for the various national teams. We have advertised the positions and it is for the new leadership to conduct interviews with those people and appoint the right persons in the positions.”
He said the NC felt it was necessary to appoint the acting secretary general to ensure administration is taken care of by a substantive head.
According to Uirab, the association’s acting secretary general, Jochen Traut’s, contract ends in March next year.
“We have deliberately given him a few months beyond our mandate to ensure that he inducts the incoming leadership,” said Uirab.
“It will be very awkward to have the executive council and a new secretary general because nobody will know what is happening.
“It was very important to have that overlap and obviously, it is up to the new committee to either renew his tenure or get a new secretary general,” said Uirab.
“However, we have made changes in the constitution on the appointment of the NFA secretary general because in the past the person was appointed or nominated by the president, of which the executive endorsed the appointment.
“We have changed that and say the appointment must be through a transparent process, where people compete and then have the best candidate given the job, and that was an important change in the constitution.”
In terms of Brave Warriors head coach Collin Benjamin, the NC thought it was absolutely important to ensure stability by having a team from one year to the next, thus Benjamin was appointed.
Uirab said Benjamin’s contract is performance-based and the NC has been impressed by his performance thus far but it will be up to the new football leadership to review.
“We have also appointed the new technical director on a performance-based contract, as you know if there is no performance there could be consequences but we appointed her on the basis of her expertise and understanding of Fifa’s rules and regulations.”
Uirab stressed that the NC has done what is required within their mandate, having restructured and put in place human resources policies and finance policies, including reviewing the constitution, of which key changes were made.
“As for the NC members, we will stay far away from the administration, what we are doing now before 30 November, is just handing over certain documentation and consulting and clarifying any issues.
“Effectively, they are in charge and we have given over everything to them, I can only wish them all the best and I am quite certain that they understand the landscape of football now that football has started.”
He emphasised that NFA elections were free, fair and credible, with transparency from the beginning stages, to nominating candidates, and the point where election results were read with no objection.
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