Warriors fiasco a disgrace It has been an eventful week for Namibian sport particularly for our Brave Warriors who are due to play Senegal this weekend. The grim state of the game was laid bare this week when it came to light that the Namibia Football Association had to cancel a training session for the Brave Warriors at the Pretoria High Performance Centre due to financial constraints. Head coach Ricardo Mannetti had hoped that the training session would afford both the local and foreign-based players a chance to train together and gel as a unit ahead of the Dakar clash tomorrow for their Group K Afcon qualifier fixture.
Despite it being a “dead rubber” clash, there is always a massive weight of expectation from the management and technical staff to ensure that players give their optimal best when representing their motherland.
To rub further salt into the wound, the NFA also faced an angry showdown with the players in a row over bonus and appearance payments.
This was coupled by the fact that the NFA is too broke to bankroll the national team’s trip to West Africa. Although this matter was later resolved after the NFA managed to get a loan from a local bank, the standoff portrays the country in bad light.
The NFA claims that the sport ministry failed to channel money to them on time for the trip to Dakar. Simply put, scrambling for money at the last minute to honour an international match is not on. There are consequences that won’t reflect well on our country, including the risk of being banned from international soccer for not honouring Afcon commitments. The authorities, especially those with financial muscle, have a moral obligation to ensure that football doesn’t slip further into the doldrums.
The players have made great sacrifices and shown loyalty to their country despite the battered image of Namibian football.
They deserve decent treatment. We cannot further allow the situation to spiral out of control.
Our hearts really bleed for our football.