Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Fifa Normalisation Committee (NC) for Namibia has turned to world football’s mother body for funding of the country’s football leagues.
THE Fifa Normalisation Committee (NC) for Namibia has turned to world football’s mother body for funding of the country’s football leagues.
NC chairperson Bisey Uirab made the announcement on Monday night, saying the window of opportunity presented to them, after “a successful meeting with the Fifa Development Team on Friday”, was brief and that they had to act with urgency.
The NC was offered the chance to apply for project funding from the Fifa Forward Programme towards funding of all the leagues, he said.
Namibia has been without competitive domestic football for over two years due to infighting, which has left investors unwilling to back the tainted football brand.
“Considering that sponsorship opportunities have to date not been fruitful enough for football to commence, the prospect of this application came as a lifeline for the commencement of the leagues,” Uirab said in a statement.
He said the news was initially not well received by the clubs, and it took two meetings to get a positive reaction from them.
The Namibia Football Association’s application submission was due yesterday ahead of the next development committee’s sitting to review applications on 8 September.
“Fifa made it clear that the application is subject to confirmation of the commitment of all participating teams that they will in fact participate and complete the league for season 2022/23,” Uirab said.
“The NC thus called a meeting with top-tier club representatives at very short notice to share the opportunity, provide an update on sponsorship challenges, and obtain commitment to the process from the club,” he said.
However, cohesion continues to haunt the Namibian football fraternity with several club bosses still not sold on uniting the warring factions.
“As is well known, various challenges exist at all echelons of football, with the result that two meetings always need to be called when dealing with top-tier clubs. Tonight’s [Monday] meeting devolved in the same manner,” Uirab said.
“The initial meeting, attended by clubs resorting under the NPFL, did not proceed. During the chairperson’s opening remarks, certain representatives aired their perceived concerns, including the wish for one meeting with all representatives,” he said.
“After a back and forth, the chairperson called for a five-minute adjournment. Upon reconvening the meeting, similar challenges resurfaced, with the result that in the end the meeting was adjourned completely.
“The second meeting proceeded, the presentation outlining the proposal to commence the top-tier league was well received, inputs to the commitment letter were provided, and the same letter was dispatched to all clubs for their acceptance and return before 11h00 on 30 August.”
NC chairperson Bisey Uirab made the announcement on Monday night, saying the window of opportunity presented to them, after “a successful meeting with the Fifa Development Team on Friday”, was brief and that they had to act with urgency.
The NC was offered the chance to apply for project funding from the Fifa Forward Programme towards funding of all the leagues, he said.
Namibia has been without competitive domestic football for over two years due to infighting, which has left investors unwilling to back the tainted football brand.
“Considering that sponsorship opportunities have to date not been fruitful enough for football to commence, the prospect of this application came as a lifeline for the commencement of the leagues,” Uirab said in a statement.
He said the news was initially not well received by the clubs, and it took two meetings to get a positive reaction from them.
The Namibia Football Association’s application submission was due yesterday ahead of the next development committee’s sitting to review applications on 8 September.
“Fifa made it clear that the application is subject to confirmation of the commitment of all participating teams that they will in fact participate and complete the league for season 2022/23,” Uirab said.
“The NC thus called a meeting with top-tier club representatives at very short notice to share the opportunity, provide an update on sponsorship challenges, and obtain commitment to the process from the club,” he said.
However, cohesion continues to haunt the Namibian football fraternity with several club bosses still not sold on uniting the warring factions.
“As is well known, various challenges exist at all echelons of football, with the result that two meetings always need to be called when dealing with top-tier clubs. Tonight’s [Monday] meeting devolved in the same manner,” Uirab said.
“The initial meeting, attended by clubs resorting under the NPFL, did not proceed. During the chairperson’s opening remarks, certain representatives aired their perceived concerns, including the wish for one meeting with all representatives,” he said.
“After a back and forth, the chairperson called for a five-minute adjournment. Upon reconvening the meeting, similar challenges resurfaced, with the result that in the end the meeting was adjourned completely.
“The second meeting proceeded, the presentation outlining the proposal to commence the top-tier league was well received, inputs to the commitment letter were provided, and the same letter was dispatched to all clubs for their acceptance and return before 11h00 on 30 August.”
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
