NFA told to amend constitution 

By John Tuerijama 
THE unfolding squabble in  the Namibia Football association  (NFA) has prompted  the Ministry of Sports, Youth and  National Service to verbally warn  the football body to revisit its constitution.  The Namibia Sports Commission  (NSC)’s chief administrator,  Freddy Mwiya, said during a media  briefing on Tuesday that the NFA’s  constitution contains many loopholes,  so much so it looks like the  constitution is designed to protect  the interest of some individuals.  He said the constitution is more  or less like most football federations’  constitution on the continent,  and that the time has come  for the NFA to revisit it. Mwiya said  that following consultative investigations  the NFA was given 21 days  to comply with the recommendations  communicated to the football  body.  Speaking at the same presser on  the status of football in the country,  Minister of Sport Erastus Uutoni,  in turn said that infighting in the  sport fraternity has brought nothing  but shame to the image and  reputation of the sport.  “There had been a number of  reports reflecting on infighting in  some areas of our sport sector. The  infighting is slowly leading to the  loss of confidence and trust and is  greatly demoralising and discouraging  the sport lovers to support,  as well as to attend sporting events,’  Uutoni stressed.  He further said that as a result,  young people were pushed far away  from the beautiful game by those  (administrators and executive) that  are constantly at loggerheads with  each other. He said that because  of the infighting there was a lack  of competence, and that there was  no time to identify talent among  young people countrywide.  Uutoni said that now that the  senior national team was on the  verge of qualifying for the African  Nations Cup, there was infighting,  which negatively affects the players’  performance.  The sport minister said the Brave  Warriors were at the doorstep to  qualify for AFCON, while the senior  national rugby team has qualified  for the Rugby World Cup, adding  that it was now the time to rally  behind the teams and give credit  where due.  Uutoni said the purported infighting  would cause those wishing  to invest in sport development to  question whether their investment  will serve the intended purpose.  “We just need to work hard in unity  to ensure that all those who wish to  partake feel welcomed and are free  to contribute to its development,”  he added.  He further said that sport cannot  be managed through hatred, anger,  nepotism, tribalism or personal interest,  but needs sober minds, unity,  love for one another, and a love  for sport.  Investigations conducted  through the NSC have revealed  that some constitutional provisions  had been overlooked, which led to  the dismissal of the NFA president  Frans Mbidi, he noted, adding that  said the NFA executive did not  comply with its statutes (constitution)  in the process of administering  the verdict to dismiss Mbidi.  Uutoni said the investigation  also found no factual evidence  that could have rendered the NFA  president worthy of dismissal. In  light of the above, Uutoni advised  the NFA executive to revisit their  decision and further said the NFA’s  constitution must be reviewed in  line with good governance principles,  including rigorous training in  this critical area.

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