• football

A dark point of no return

• 11 Hours Ago

The relegation of top football clubs from the Namibia Premier Football League, as well as from first division football, has cemented the financial reality football clubs face in Namibia.

Some football clubs were recently relegated, while others that dropped down in the past have not found their way back to top-flight football.

In fact, many of these clubs trying to bounce back are struggling to stay afloat in the lower leagues and have faced further relegations.

In the past, clubs like Chelsea Football Club Grootfontein, Black Africa, Chiefs Santos, Orlando Pirates, Ramblers, Civics, Liverpool Okahandja and Oshakati City all once provided fans with highly entertaining performances.

Recently, Tigers Football Club was also relegated from the premier league, becoming the latest big-name club to exit the country’s top-flight league.

Record league champions Black Africa (10) were recently relegated from the second division and will now play in the third division.

Ramblers, Chiefs Santos and Orlando Pirates, on the other hand, were relegated from the first division after the end of the season.

This has marked a significant point in football history, prompting questions about the state of Namibian football and the seriousness of football club owners and administrators.

Analysts are weighing in on the possible reasons why some of these top football clubs have faced a torrid time.

Mathew Haikali, who has been vocal about football administration for years, shared his views on why these clubs may have found the going tough.

“Community sports clubs are slowly dying because many have failed to adapt to the realities of modern sport.

“The traditional volunteer-driven model can no longer sustain clubs in an increasingly professional and commercial environment,” Haikali told Sport Wrap.

He cited resistance to change as one of the major problems clubs have been facing.

Haikali said clubs still operate informally while players, competitions and sponsors now expect professional structures.

“Players are no longer driven only by patriotism and community pride; compensation, welfare and career opportunities now influence decisions.

“Sport has become a livelihood, not just a passion.

“At the same time, some investors enter sport for prestige rather than sustainability.”

Haikali added that too much focus is placed on signing players while administration is neglected.

“If clubs can afford to pay players, they must also invest in full-time administrators who can manage finance, compliance, marketing and long-term planning professionally.”

Analysts further believe that the legislative framework also works against community clubs.

Most of these clubs are suspected to have fallen due to struggles in accessing funding, infrastructure and meaningful government support, while still being expected to meet professional standards.

“Community clubs will only survive if they move beyond personality-driven leadership and adopt sustainable business models.

“Passion alone is no longer enough.

“Modern sport requires professional governance, proper administration and long-term financial planning to keep community clubs alive.”

Infighting within the football fraternity over the years is also something attributed to the downfall of some clubs that once had proper administrative structures in place.

Black Africa was once a football club that had all systems in place under the leadership of figures like Ranga Haikali and Boni Paulino.

It was an era that saw the club winning back-to-back premier league titles while offering a semi-professional framework to players.

All this, however, fell apart when members of the community demanded that the leaders hand the club back to the community under different leadership.

This alone is said to have been a significant factor in dragging the football club to its worst position since Independence.

The distraction caused by leadership infighting within the Namibia Football Association and the halting of football during some seasons also wheelbarrowed some football clubs onto a path of no return.

Namibian football has been plagued by prolonged administrative disputes and leadership battles within the Namibia Football Association and the Namibia Premier League, which led to suspended league seasons, legal battles and the resignation of executives. These conflicts frequently stemmed from disputes over governance, promotion and relegation rules, and the suspension of club members.

Outspoken football commentator Olsen Kahiriri said football leaders had betrayed football clubs in many ways.

“I must say that these football clubs will look back at moments when football was destabilised by those in leadership and regret that it ever happened.

“Many people in leadership circles proved that they were not there for the interest and wellbeing of football, and this has cost some of these promising football clubs dearly.

“There were definitely loopholes in leadership structures and today some football clubs have suffered because of that,” Kahiriri said.

The fact that companies such as MTC Namibia, Debmarine Namibia and First National Bank Namibia pulled the plug on league sponsorships due to infighting is also said to have contributed to the fading fortunes of many clubs.