Tigers to pick up pieces

TIGERS Sports Club will go back to square one by electing a new leadership after having no active members serving on its structures for the past two years.

Although the football team fared well last season to finish fourth in the Namibia Premier League (NPL), its technical committee has been running the affairs of the club because other officials elected two years ago have failed to do their duties. The club’s annual general meeting will be held in Windhoek on Saturday and several positions on two key committees need to be filled because the elected office-bearers are missing in action.The members who served on the board of trustees have also not been active and this section of the club has been dormant with no meetings held for the past two years.The club had its last prize-giving ceremony for its players in 2002, the year in which the members to the various committees were elected.Positions on the board of trustees, executive committee and the supporters’ committee need to be field this weekend.At least 20 people will be needed to fill these positions.The elders’ committee is the only active organ of the club at the moment, to which the technical committee has been reporting.Tigers official Kelly Asser, who has been running virtually all the activities of the club since the mysterious disappearance of all its committee members, called for the AGM.This, he said, was in line with the club’s constitution.He told The Namibian Sport yesterday that there was no point in running the club on his own, as it was taking up a lot of his time and money.”Firstly, I really don’t know what happened to all these people that were elected to these positions.They all vanished and for the past two seasons, I struggled to keep the club going despite these people,” he said.Prominent people in Government and the private sector occupied positions on the various committees, including Mocks Shivute, Fessie Lameck, Tjipee Haihambo, Jeff Mbako, Onesmus Akwenye and Hilifa Mbako.On the netball side, Asser said Donatha Gawanab was the only person still serving as all the others had called it quits.Asked why these committees have all crumbled, Asser said people lacked commitment and always had excuses to attend to their personal matters whenever they were called to attend meetings.”They said they had to do this and that at their homes or at work, but never wanted to do anything for the club.Now we are sitting with no one.We need to elect new people who can dedicate their time to the club,” he said.He said the club also needed a coach as Sackey Mangali, who followed in Rusten Mogane’s footsteps, had also left.Mangali plans to attend a coaching course in Europe in the next few months, while Mogane is the current head of the Namibia Sport Commission (NSC).Meanwhile, one of the former officials serving on the executive committee, who declined to be named, has described Asser as a dictator.”Kelly (Asser) is always trying to pull the strings alone and there has not been a lot of transparency from his side.He does not listen to people and always does things the way he wants,” the former member said.Asser hit back, saying: “I have never stood in anybody’s way.The executive was elected and they had to take charge of the affairs of the team, but they all ran away.I was just chosen to serve on the technical committee of the team.I am not a dictator, but a person who have stood for the interest of the team, especially the players.People are not appreciating the efforts that some of us have made so far.They are just talking nonsense.”On transparency, Asser said when the former members started vanishing from their responsibilities, there was no money left in the bank for the team and he had to solicit sponsorships from scratch.”I brought in United Africa as the sponsor for the team and they should be thankful for that.There was not a cent in the team’s account and there is no way that they can blame me for not being transparent,” he said.Asser has been assisted by Peter Wilson, who has also served as team manager for the past two years.When asked about the affairs of the team, Wilson agreed with Asser.”I think it is better to have this AGM so that we can get people in positions who can do the job, and not just talk.The team needs people who are committed and this will result in good performances from players on the field,” he said.Tigers footballers receive monthly allowances and Asser argues that to date the players have never complained about not being paid.The club’s annual general meeting will be held in Windhoek on Saturday and several positions on two key committees need to be filled because the elected office-bearers are missing in action.The members who served on the board of trustees have also not been active and this section of the club has been dormant with no meetings held for the past two years.The club had its last prize-giving ceremony for its players in 2002, the year in which the members to the various committees were elected.Positions on the board of trustees, executive committee and the supporters’ committee need to be field this weekend.At least 20 people will be needed to fill these positions.The elders’ committee is the only active organ of the club at the moment, to which the technical committee has been reporting.Tigers official Kelly Asser, who has been running virtually all the activities of the club since the mysterious disappearance of all its committee members, called for the AGM.This, he said, was in line with the club’s constitution.He told The Namibian Sport yesterday that there was no point in running the club on his own, as it was taking up a lot of his time and money.”Firstly, I really don’t know what happened to all these people that were elected to these positions.They all vanished and for the past two seasons, I struggled to keep the club going despite these people,” he said.Prominent people in Government and the private sector occupied positions on the various committees, including Mocks Shivute, Fessie Lameck, Tjipee Haihambo, Jeff Mbako, Onesmus Akwenye and Hilifa Mbako.On the netball side, Asser said Donatha Gawanab was the only person still serving as all the others had called it quits.Asked why these committees have all crumbled, Asser said people lacked commitment and always had excuses to attend to their personal matters whenever they were called to attend meetings.”They said they had to do this and that at their homes or at work, but never wanted to do anything for the club.Now we are sitting with no one.We need to elect new people who can dedicate their time to the club,” he said.He said the club also needed a coach as Sackey Mangali, who followed in Rusten Mogane’s footsteps, had also left.Mangali plans to attend a coaching course in Europe in the next few months, while Mogane is the current head of the Namibia Sport Commission (NSC).Meanwhile, one of the former officials serving on the executive committee, who declined to be named, has described Asser as a dictator.”Kelly (Asser) is always trying to pull the strings alone and there has not been a lot of transparency from his side.He does not listen to people and always does things the way he wants,” the former member said.Asser hit back, saying: “I have never stood in anybody’s way.The executive was elected and they had to take charge of the affairs of the team, but they all ran away.I was just chosen to serve on the technical committee of the team.I am not a dictator, but a person who have stood for the interest of the team, especially the players.People are not appreciating the efforts that some of us have made so far.They are just talking nonsense.”On transparency, Asser said when the former members started vanishing from their responsibilities, there was no money left in the bank for the team and he had to solicit sponsorships from scratch.”I brought in United Africa as the sponsor for the team and they should be thankful for that.There was not a cent in the team’s account and there is no way that they can blame me for not being transparent,” he said.Asser has been assisted by Peter Wilson, who has also served as team manager for the
past two years.When asked about the affairs of the team, Wilson agreed with Asser.”I think it is better to have this AGM so that we can get people in positions who can do the job, and not just talk.The team needs people who are committed and this will result in good performances from players on the field,” he said.Tigers footballers receive monthly allowances and Asser argues that to date the players have never complained about not being paid.