JJD tears into football leaders
The dust in Namibian football is far from settling as more court meetings are on the cards, which a former NPL chairperson has attributed to egos and tribalism.
Jesse Jackson Kauraisa
WINDHOEK
Former Namibia Premier League (NPL) chairman and 2020 Namibia Football Association presidential candidate Johnny Johnson 'JJD' Doeseb has accused football leaders of tribalism.
Doeseb, who lost the presidential elections to Ranga Haikali in February, insists that football in this country will continue heading south as long as individuals in power continue using the “tribal card”.
He said he had hoped he would change the state of Namibian Football, only to fail to convince the NFA congress.
“I am saddened by the state of Namibian football, and the way we have made big mistakes by allowing tribalism and racism on the agenda of football. “During apartheid, racism was our biggest enemy and now we are making a mistake of dividing Namibians into tribal lines,” Doeseb fumed.
Football should unite
The former NPL chairman is calling those in leadership positions to act as symbols of hope to the hopeless footballers. He said he believes football can be used as a unifying tool where joy and happiness are found.
“It is no longer enough to be a Namibian in football circles, now you must be of a particular tribe to be in it. “Your tribal affiliation should never matter because we are now building a very dangerous foundation for football.”
Interest of football at heart
Doeseb further urged football leaders not to compromise the interest of the game because of personal egos. The former chairman said he believes in adding value to the talented young footballers, whom he feels have been deprived of their talent due to continuous infighting.
“I am calling on the leadership of football to debate issues and become blind towards racism, tribalism and ethnicity.
“If this does not stop, we will destroy what was built before us and it will take many years to repair the damage,” Doeseb said.
Current state
As things stand, the NPL and the Namibia Football Association (NFA) face a legal stand-off at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The NPL is still contesting in what it called an unfair suspension from the NFA for advocating for relegation, while the NFA maintains that there should be no relegations.
Meanwhile, the new NFA leadership has begun its quest to revamp the association, even in the midst of court battles.
WINDHOEK
Former Namibia Premier League (NPL) chairman and 2020 Namibia Football Association presidential candidate Johnny Johnson 'JJD' Doeseb has accused football leaders of tribalism.
Doeseb, who lost the presidential elections to Ranga Haikali in February, insists that football in this country will continue heading south as long as individuals in power continue using the “tribal card”.
He said he had hoped he would change the state of Namibian Football, only to fail to convince the NFA congress.
“I am saddened by the state of Namibian football, and the way we have made big mistakes by allowing tribalism and racism on the agenda of football. “During apartheid, racism was our biggest enemy and now we are making a mistake of dividing Namibians into tribal lines,” Doeseb fumed.
Football should unite
The former NPL chairman is calling those in leadership positions to act as symbols of hope to the hopeless footballers. He said he believes football can be used as a unifying tool where joy and happiness are found.
“It is no longer enough to be a Namibian in football circles, now you must be of a particular tribe to be in it. “Your tribal affiliation should never matter because we are now building a very dangerous foundation for football.”
Interest of football at heart
Doeseb further urged football leaders not to compromise the interest of the game because of personal egos. The former chairman said he believes in adding value to the talented young footballers, whom he feels have been deprived of their talent due to continuous infighting.
“I am calling on the leadership of football to debate issues and become blind towards racism, tribalism and ethnicity.
“If this does not stop, we will destroy what was built before us and it will take many years to repair the damage,” Doeseb said.
Current state
As things stand, the NPL and the Namibia Football Association (NFA) face a legal stand-off at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The NPL is still contesting in what it called an unfair suspension from the NFA for advocating for relegation, while the NFA maintains that there should be no relegations.
Meanwhile, the new NFA leadership has begun its quest to revamp the association, even in the midst of court battles.
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