FOOTBALL IS BACK: Football is expected to start in November. PHOTO: FILE/Hesron Kapanga
FOOTBALL IS BACK: Football is expected to start in November. PHOTO: FILE/Hesron Kapanga

Around N$20m ready for football

NPFL survives - for now
The soon-to-be-launched Namibia Premier Football League will allegedly receive a budget of N$15 million for the season, while around N$5 million is likely to be used for the division below it, totalling DebMarine Namibia's reported N$20 million injection into the sport, Namibian Sun has learnt.
Jesse Jackson Kauraisa
Jesse Jackson Kauraisa

Windhoek

Football clubs in the country have all agreed to start the league under the auspicious Namibia Premier Football League (NPFL) after marathon discussions.

Namibian Sun has been informed that Debmarine Namibia has also agreed to allegedly sponsor the beautiful game to the tune of around N$20 million.

Fifa normalisation committee chairperson Bisey Uirab could neither deny nor confirm the sponsorship, or the figures.

“I seriously do not know where you people get information from, but I will not confirm nor deny anything at this stage,” he said yesterday.

Namibian Sun, however, understands that Debmarine and the Namibia Football Association (NFA) are set to officially unveil the sponsorship soon.

The season will see all 16 clubs that were part of the MTC Namibia Premier League (NPL) before football came to a standstill compete in the newly established NPFL, which experienced a short-lived commencement last year after being endorsed by congress in December 2020.

It is alleged the committee and clubs finally agreed to play under the NPFL banner given that it was adopted and endorsed by congress.

It was for these reasons the normalisation committee allegedly decided to run with the NPFL for now in order to avoid any further complications within Namibian football.

Professionalisation

Sources have further speculated that conditions set by the majority of the clubs and sponsors was that the NPFL league will only last one season.

Speculation is rife that the clubs are eager to transition into a new, independent league aimed at professionalising the game once the 2022/23 season has been concluded.

“The spirit is positive and everyone at the moment just wants to get football started after these tough times they have been through,” an insider said.

Lifted expulsions

The committee announced last Thursday that it has overturned the expulsion of the NPL from NFA activities.

Patrick Kauta, Peter Nakura, Gabriel Tjombe, Bonnie Paulino and the league’s CEO Harald Fülle’s expulsions from football activities were lifted.

The members of the NPL were expelled by the NFA extraordinary congress during July 2018 for allegedly not complying with association directives. The committee overturned this decision, stating that it was not lawful.

This will now allow expelled members to be part of football clubs that competed in the NPL and are now set to compete in the NPFL.

The NFA’s Mabos Vries is rumoured to remain league director and in charge for now.

Attempts to get hold of Debmarine’s communication department proved unsuccessful.

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-23

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