Tussle over new Omuthiya field
The NFA's national leadership has mandated the Omuthiya town council to take care of the new stadium without the knowledge of the NFA regional structures.
The Namibia Football Association (NFA)'s Oshikoto regional body, NFA national body and the Omuthiya town council are disputing the ownership of the newly established Omuthiya soccer field.
This only came to light after the Oshikoto regional soccer team wanted to use the stadium to prepare for the upcoming Newspaper Cup. The town council demanded payment from the regional team to use the facility.
NFA Oshikoto claims that it is the rightful beneficiary of the field and felt that it should not have to pay to use it.
The town council, on the other hand, claims that it is the custodian of the soccer field mandated by the NFA national leadership and whoever wants to use the facility has to pay council tariffs.
The former chairperson of NFA Oshikoto and currently an NFA national executive member, Shali Amakali, expressed disappointment about the development.
“I am not happy with the Omuthiya town council demanding payment from us to use the soccer field. The NFA Oshikoto is the legitimate beneficiary of this soccer field.
“It was through our efforts that FIFA donated this soccer field to the region. We lobbied for this soccer field through an open bid with other regions and we succeeded and now we are forced to pay so that we can use it,” Amakali said.
FIFA funded the N$8 million artificial turf at Omuthiya through the NFA, while the Omuthiya town council donated land for the soccer field. According to Amakali, who was the NFA regional chairperson when the donation was made, it was meant to benefit football development in the region by exposing regional players to modern facilities.
“Omuthiya town council has hijacked the facilities and is now demanding fees from the beneficiary. This is against FIFA football development projects. When are our players from remote areas going to get exposed to these facilities if they are being charged to use them?
“According to the agreement, the town council was supposed to construct ablution facilities, players' changing rooms, a boundary wall and provide water to the place,” he said.
Omuthiya town council CEO Samuel Mbango said the NFA national executive gave the soccer field to the council to manage and all the affairs of the stadium then became the council's responsibility.
Mbango also said that the regional NFA used the wrong approach when they requested to use the facility.
“I think the NFA regional body was not informed about the agreement we entered with the NFA national body at their head office. The agreement was done without the involvement of the regional body. It is true that the soccer field was donated, but it was given to us by NFA national body so that we can manage and maintain it,” Mbango said.
Mbango said the regional body was supposed to request the use of the facility from the town council.
The regional team was only granted permission to use the stadium for free after the NFA Oshikoto Second Division chairperson, Iita Albina Kauko, wrote a letter to the NFA head office requesting to use the facility without paying a fee.
NFA spokesperson Fire Vatilifa said they were aware of the weekend's incident. He said it happened because NFA national and regional structures and the Omuthiya town council had not yet discussed the use of the field.
He added, though, that there was no way the soccer field would be used for free.
“It is true that the stadium was donated by FIFA through NFA and the GIZ but they are not the only institutions that have contributed to its establishment. The land where it was established was donated by the Omuthiya town council.
“The stadium has to be maintained and the institution responsible to maintain it is not the NFA regional body, but the town council and if they are not charging money how are they going to maintain it?” Vatilifa said.
Vatilifa said much remained to be done at the stadium, including building a boundary wall, a pavilion and a parking lot.
A Dutch company, Edel Grass, which was contracted by FIFA to construct the soccer field, finished the work and handed over the pitch to the Omuthiya town council in January this year.
ILENI NANDJATO
This only came to light after the Oshikoto regional soccer team wanted to use the stadium to prepare for the upcoming Newspaper Cup. The town council demanded payment from the regional team to use the facility.
NFA Oshikoto claims that it is the rightful beneficiary of the field and felt that it should not have to pay to use it.
The town council, on the other hand, claims that it is the custodian of the soccer field mandated by the NFA national leadership and whoever wants to use the facility has to pay council tariffs.
The former chairperson of NFA Oshikoto and currently an NFA national executive member, Shali Amakali, expressed disappointment about the development.
“I am not happy with the Omuthiya town council demanding payment from us to use the soccer field. The NFA Oshikoto is the legitimate beneficiary of this soccer field.
“It was through our efforts that FIFA donated this soccer field to the region. We lobbied for this soccer field through an open bid with other regions and we succeeded and now we are forced to pay so that we can use it,” Amakali said.
FIFA funded the N$8 million artificial turf at Omuthiya through the NFA, while the Omuthiya town council donated land for the soccer field. According to Amakali, who was the NFA regional chairperson when the donation was made, it was meant to benefit football development in the region by exposing regional players to modern facilities.
“Omuthiya town council has hijacked the facilities and is now demanding fees from the beneficiary. This is against FIFA football development projects. When are our players from remote areas going to get exposed to these facilities if they are being charged to use them?
“According to the agreement, the town council was supposed to construct ablution facilities, players' changing rooms, a boundary wall and provide water to the place,” he said.
Omuthiya town council CEO Samuel Mbango said the NFA national executive gave the soccer field to the council to manage and all the affairs of the stadium then became the council's responsibility.
Mbango also said that the regional NFA used the wrong approach when they requested to use the facility.
“I think the NFA regional body was not informed about the agreement we entered with the NFA national body at their head office. The agreement was done without the involvement of the regional body. It is true that the soccer field was donated, but it was given to us by NFA national body so that we can manage and maintain it,” Mbango said.
Mbango said the regional body was supposed to request the use of the facility from the town council.
The regional team was only granted permission to use the stadium for free after the NFA Oshikoto Second Division chairperson, Iita Albina Kauko, wrote a letter to the NFA head office requesting to use the facility without paying a fee.
NFA spokesperson Fire Vatilifa said they were aware of the weekend's incident. He said it happened because NFA national and regional structures and the Omuthiya town council had not yet discussed the use of the field.
He added, though, that there was no way the soccer field would be used for free.
“It is true that the stadium was donated by FIFA through NFA and the GIZ but they are not the only institutions that have contributed to its establishment. The land where it was established was donated by the Omuthiya town council.
“The stadium has to be maintained and the institution responsible to maintain it is not the NFA regional body, but the town council and if they are not charging money how are they going to maintain it?” Vatilifa said.
Vatilifa said much remained to be done at the stadium, including building a boundary wall, a pavilion and a parking lot.
A Dutch company, Edel Grass, which was contracted by FIFA to construct the soccer field, finished the work and handed over the pitch to the Omuthiya town council in January this year.
ILENI NANDJATO
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