Which way now?

THE endless talks between the NFA and the Namibia Football Consortium (NFC) on the future of domestic football in the country, have now reached an annoying and unacceptable stage.

Football around the world has been going on for about two months now and Namibia is still fast asleep, with boardroom wrangles the order of the day! Something needs to be done and quickly too, or the premiership teams should take a stand of not being part of these marathon negotiations which to date have yielded absolutely nothing. It is three months down the line and there is no indication when the football league will start and no one at Soccer House has the guts to openly say what progress has been made regarding the wheeling and dealings between the sponsors and the football administrators.I understand that it is the nature of negotiations that nothing can be communicated officially before all the parties have agreed to it, but this silence has really become simply frustrating.At least a tentative kick-off date for the league would have brought some relief to the teams that are spending thousands on keeping their players in shape, but it appears as if no one among both the football bosses and the sponsors cares.They do care in their meetings perhaps, but on the outside, we perceive their behaviour as careless because football bosses flatly refuse to openly talk about what the contentious issues are.A mention or comment is hard to get because they think that it will compromise their careers or the positions they occupy.To be frank, I think the current contract between the NFA ad the NFC is keeping clubs and players hostage and if there is no action, we will not see the start of the league anytime soon.The clubs are being kept in the dark on what is happening behind closed doors and the players are effectively being denied the opportunity to play.The letters that are being sent out time and again that clubs should be patient, in my mind are utter rubbish.They mean nothing.The players are getting more frustrated and their coaches and managers have run out of answers to questions about the kick-off of the football season.I wonder why it has been so difficult for the NFA and the NFC to continue with their current contract of pumping in N$8 million into football each season and have their talks ongoing while the league is in progress? What if there is a deadlock now and the NFC refuses to accept the offers made by the NFA? Are we going back to square one, the N$8 million instead? What a waste of time and money it would be for the officials who spent hours in useless meetings and clubs that have been forking out thousands to prepare their teams for a league that was never to start.After all, the money that is being pumped into football is nothing compared to other leagues around the world, so one wonders why the fuss? I would be really surprised if a bigger sponsorship deal is pulled off this time around.I think it is high time that the chairmen of premier league clubs also draw a line and demand what is best for the teams.Until when is the NFA going to call the shots that are not in favour of anyone, but merely aimed at satisfying their own interests? I know that the NFA signed the contract with the NFC three years ago, but they should also realise that it does not serve any purpose to push matters to unacceptable levels that are negatively affecting all now.There are only two years left on this deal and if the NFA does not accept the reluctance of more funding to football by the NFC, then they should bite the bullet.I challenge the NFA to come out and explain to the public what is at stake in their talks with the NFC and what their intentions are with the way forward for Namibian football.Also explain this: Is the thorny issue that the NFA is afraid of losing out financially if MTC pulls out and solely concentrates on the NPL? Or is it that the two other sponsors (FNB and NBL) are afraid to be left behind in terms of mileage if that happens? A media conference to clear the air would be welcomed.It is three months down the line and there is no indication when the football league will start and no one at Soccer House has the guts to openly say what progress has been made regarding the wheeling and dealings between the sponsors and the football administrators.I understand that it is the nature of negotiations that nothing can be communicated officially before all the parties have agreed to it, but this silence has really become simply frustrating.At least a tentative kick-off date for the league would have brought some relief to the teams that are spending thousands on keeping their players in shape, but it appears as if no one among both the football bosses and the sponsors cares.They do care in their meetings perhaps, but on the outside, we perceive their behaviour as careless because football bosses flatly refuse to openly talk about what the contentious issues are.A mention or comment is hard to get because they think that it will compromise their careers or the positions they occupy.To be frank, I think the current contract between the NFA ad the NFC is keeping clubs and players hostage and if there is no action, we will not see the start of the league anytime soon.The clubs are being kept in the dark on what is happening behind closed doors and the players are effectively being denied the opportunity to play.The letters that are being sent out time and again that clubs should be patient, in my mind are utter rubbish.They mean nothing.The players are getting more frustrated and their coaches and managers have run out of answers to questions about the kick-off of the football season.I wonder why it has been so difficult for the NFA and the NFC to continue with their current contract of pumping in N$8 million into football each season and have their talks ongoing while the league is in progress? What if there is a deadlock now and the NFC refuses to accept the offers made by the NFA? Are we going back to square one, the N$8 million instead? What a waste of time and money it would be for the officials who spent hours in useless meetings and clubs that have been forking out thousands to prepare their teams for a league that was never to start.After all, the money that is being pumped into football is nothing compared to other leagues around the world, so one wonders why the fuss? I would be really surprised if a bigger sponsorship deal is pulled off this time around.I think it is high time that the chairmen of premier league clubs also draw a line and demand what is best for the teams.Until when is the NFA going to call the shots that are not in favour of anyone, but merely aimed at satisfying their own interests? I know that the NFA signed the contract with the NFC three years ago, but they should also realise that it does not serve any purpose to push matters to unacceptable levels that are negatively affecting all now.There are only two years left on this deal and if the NFA does not accept the reluctance of more funding to football by the NFC, then they should bite the bullet. I challenge the NFA to come out and explain to the public what is at stake in their talks with the NFC and what their intentions are with the way forward for Namibian football.Also explain this: Is the thorny issue that the NFA is afraid of losing out financially if MTC pulls out and solely concentrates on the NPL? Or is it that the two other sponsors (FNB and NBL) are afraid to be left behind in terms of mileage if that happens? A media conference to clear the air would be welcomed.