Namibian Sun

Jesse Jackson Kauraisa

WINDHOEK



Namibia Premier League (NPL) players will not benefit from the Fifa coronavirus emergency grant, Namibia Football Association (NFA) president Ranga Haikali has confirmed.

The football governing body will only make provision for premier league players who are contracted to the national team. Fifa will release all operational funding due to member associations for 2019 and 2020 in the coming days as the first step in a relief plan to assist the football community impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

This measure will mean that about N$2.8 billion will be distributed among 211 football governing bodies around the world.

The fund is expected to reach out to all Fifa affiliated associations during the coming weeks and months.

The NFA has already forwarded all details required to receive the funding and are awaiting Fifa's response, Haikali said.



Fund distribution

Haikali added that money will be paid out to national team players and other affected affiliation bodies of the NFA.

“We must however also understand that the NPL is suspended and it is therefore not a member of the NFA.

“That is why none of its players who do not play for the national team will be eligible to benefit from these grants,” Haikali said.



Compliance is key

The NFA president made it clear that the league players would all have benefited if the NPL was still operational.

He insisted that the NFA is not responsible for the problems caused by the NPL, and will therefore not take the blame for the close to 400 players who ply their trade in the league who will not benefit from the grants. “We do not even know if the money will come through, but when it comes, it will be for all NFA members, but not the NPL,” Haikali reiterated.



Court battles

As things stand, the NPL has turned to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to seek reinstatement as an NFA member. The NFA has maintained that the NPL will only be allowed back as a member if they comply with the rules.