Tough choice for NFA

THE Namibia Football Association is faced with a difficult choice.

Either it hires Blue Waters coach Shepherd Murape as caretaker coach of the Brave Warriors over an unspecified period, or acquire his services specifically to take charge of the Cosafa Castle Cup match against Angola in May. The snag with the first option is that it entails buying him out of his current contract with the coastal side.NFA spokesperson Cassius Moetie yesterday told The Namibian Sport that the association was still deliberating about signing the Zimbabwean-born coach for the troubled Warriors side, but acknowledged the choice was a tough one.”It will be costly to get him to be the caretaker coach of the side until we find a replacement, as we have to buy him out of his current contract with Blue Waters.It will basically be a breach of contract for him with the side if he wants to commit himself to the Warriors, that’s why we will be required to pay for the remainder of his contract,” Moetie said.Murape’s contract with Blue Waters expires at the end of June this year.Moetie said a better option might be to hire him to specifically for the Cosafa Castle Cup match on May 9, and then release him again “But this is option is still under discussion”.Murape was earmarked to take over the Brave Warriors job in a temporary capacity after the resignation of former technical director Peter Ueberjahn last November.The association initially wanted him to take charge of the team for the Cosafa match, but also indicated that he might be in charge after that date until a suitable candidate has been found for the job.Earlier this year NFA President Petrus Damaseb declined to specify a time frame for hiring a permanent Warriors coach, saying the team were “not in a hurry”.Namibia has been banished from competitive international football for the next three years after losing out in both the African and World Cup preliminary qualifiers.The only competition is the annual Cosafa Castle Cup which is played on a knockout basis, in which Namibia is expected to play away against Angola.Contacted for comment yesterday, Murape said he was waiting for a formal proposal from the NFA to use his services.”I am still waiting for them to send me the proposal as they indicated before.At this stage I wont be able to say anything on that,” he said.Since taking charge with Blue Waters, Murape has won the MTC Christmas Cup with them, and his side tops the domestic league at the moment.The snag with the first option is that it entails buying him out of his current contract with the coastal side.NFA spokesperson Cassius Moetie yesterday told The Namibian Sport that the association was still deliberating about signing the Zimbabwean-born coach for the troubled Warriors side, but acknowledged the choice was a tough one.”It will be costly to get him to be the caretaker coach of the side until we find a replacement, as we have to buy him out of his current contract with Blue Waters. It will basically be a breach of contract for him with the side if he wants to commit himself to the Warriors, that’s why we will be required to pay for the remainder of his contract,” Moetie said.Murape’s contract with Blue Waters expires at the end of June this year.Moetie said a better option might be to hire him to specifically for the Cosafa Castle Cup match on May 9, and then release him again “But this is option is still under discussion”.Murape was earmarked to take over the Brave Warriors job in a temporary capacity after the resignation of former technical director Peter Ueberjahn last November.The association initially wanted him to take charge of the team for the Cosafa match, but also indicated that he might be in charge after that date until a suitable candidate has been found for the job.Earlier this year NFA President Petrus Damaseb declined to specify a time frame for hiring a permanent Warriors coach, saying the team were “not in a hurry”. Namibia has been banished from competitive international football for the next three years after losing out in both the African and World Cup preliminary qualifiers.The only competition is the annual Cosafa Castle Cup which is played on a knockout basis, in which Namibia is expected to play away against Angola.Contacted for comment yesterday, Murape said he was waiting for a formal proposal from the NFA to use his services.”I am still waiting for them to send me the proposal as they indicated before. At this stage I wont be able to say anything on that,” he said.Since taking charge with Blue Waters, Murape has won the MTC Christmas Cup with them, and his side tops the domestic league at the moment.