Rugby mess: Coach claims interference

Former Welwitschias coach Danie Vermeulen explained his reasons for leaving his post barely three months before the start of the Rugby World Cup. The coach shocked the rugby fraternity when the Namibian Rugby Union (NRU) confirmed they had received his resignation last Wednesday. “We wish to thank Danie for the massive contribution he has made to Namibian Rugby, especially in very difficult times when he saw us promoted from Africa’s 1B division into the A division and last year when he steered the team to victory in the World Cup qualification tournament in Madagascar,” said Bradley Basson, president of the NRU said in a statement. The coach has now given the reasons for his decision to jump ship. Born Namibian Vermeulen said that the decision was not easy to make because as a born Namibian, he has “an unbelievable amount of passion for and pride in my country and our history and our future”. But certain recent events have left him with no choice but to step aside. “The reason for my resignation has been coming since the qualification for the 2015 World Cup in Madagascar in 2014. “Many people could not believe that we could play so poorly against Kenya and Zimbabwe in the first two matches, but were able to beat the WP and play competitive rugby against the Blue Bulls for 60 minutes only two weeks prior to that.” Vermeulen points to a decision by the NRU to limit practice sessions to only two-times in the week and instead allow the players to play club rugby as one of the factors that led to such poor displays. “This caused the players to be under-conditioned not able to handle the standard of play for four matches in a row,” he said. A similar decision prior to Namibia’s European tour last year had the same effect, Vermeulen claims. What further irked the coach was still to follow. “What was most shocking was the interference from the council as far as the selection of the tour group was concerned. “Initially the group was to have consisted of 28 players and when I did not select a certain player, the group was enlarged to 29 players and I was merely informed that certain players would also be in the tour group.” Racism Following the conclusion of the European tour, Vermeulen says he was informed that the ‘coloured’ players had accused him of racism “I requested to see the complaints but until today I have not received a copy yet. Also until now I have not received and explanation from the NRU regarding the issue and this matter has never been sorted out.” Vermeulen went on to state that during a January meeting this year, Basson had clearly said that he had lost faith in the coach’s ability. In addition to that, the NRU consistently failed to heed to his recommendations with Vermeulen suggest to hire a qualified conditioning coach falling on deaf ears. “This was never done and five months were wasted in the Vodacom Cup. This had a direct influence on the team’s performance in the Nations Cup in Romania,” he said. Vermeulen also states that he was not sure when the team will gather for matches against Russia next month. “With this as background, I came to realise that I was the reason for the players and the team being disadvantaged. “That I stood in the way of success at the World Cup. That and complaints of racism against me, a council interfering in my team selections, a president who has lost his faith in my abilities, no backline coach and no idea when I would have the team to start to prepare for Russia.” Last straw But the ultimate breaking point for Vermeulen, who is wheelchair-bound, came during the Africa Cup match against Tunisia in Tunis. “On arrival in Tunisia on 4 June my chair was gone... “It is not a secret that we as people with paraplegia do not have control over our bowels and bladder; thus except for the fact that I need a wheelchair to be able to move around and coach the team, it also necessary for my quality of life,” he stated. This forced him to buy a basic wheelchair for N$6 000. “My cost for wheelchairs at this stage amount to N$127 500 since my own chair disappeared... The NRU informed me that the insurance would pay N$30 000 and the NRU would make an ex gratia payment of N$19 000 to me for the loss. “This leaves me with a deficit of N$78 550 from my own pocket. “I have received neither a payment from the insurance company nor any payment from the NRU and I have paid everything from my own pocket. Is this what I am worth to the NRU? “Am I supposed to pay for and stand the consequences when the NRU takes out insufficient insurance cover?” he asked. “Everything taken into account, I have now come to the decision that the NRU does not really appreciate my worth as coach and that I had no recourse but to resign as coach,” he concluded. Namibia will play Russia in Windhoek in two test matches on July 11 and 18 respectively. Vermeulen’s resignation follows the stepping the down of four board members last month. Elmo Kurz, Corrie Mensah, David van Kradenburg and Marcelino Dentlinger all resigned from their positions on the NRU board. Walter Don also resigned from his job as the Welwitschias’ backline last year with his position reportedly due to be filled by former Springbok flank Pieter Rossouw. WINDHOEK SPORT REPORTER