Tears for the players

It is with a deep sadness in my heart that I write this editorial today about the players that will not get a chance to play in the NFA Debmarine Cup this season.

This comes after several clubs decided that they will not participate in the competition because they are not ready to do so.

However, I must say the sad truth is that many thirsty football-loving players did not welcome the decision their respective clubs have taken with open hearts.

These players have been out of action for far too long given that the Namibia Premier League has been dormant for almost a year now.

When the news broke that Debmarine Namibia was sponsoring the competition, one could see the excitement among players and fans.

Now that the competition has kicked off, there is a sudden sadness among some of the greatest talents gracing the pitches of this beautiful country.

I spoke to several players after it was announced that some clubs have decided not to be part of the cup.

I can boldly state that speaking to them felt like I was talking to someone who had just buried both his parents in one day.

One could see that these players' thoughts were swimming deep in an ocean of sadness, confusion and despair.

I could barely ask any further questions about how they feel because I felt as though I was rubbing salt on deep, deep wounds.

Some of these players depend solely on football given that they do not have jobs and neither do they hold any academic qualifications.

They are fathers and sometimes husbands or partners and football has been the only thing which has enabled them to put bread on the table.

For most, hearing about the Debmarine Cup reignited their hopes and dreams of becoming a valued person in our society – sports or otherwise.

The players thought that they could at least earn some extra money in view of the fact that each club participating in the tournament gets N$18 000 for each round.

All this has become just words for some players now because some of the clubs have chosen to take the alternative route rather than taking them to the promised land.

I strongly believe that it was a bad idea for the football clubs to opt not to play in the Debmarine Cup.

Some clubs are claiming that they are not prepared, but I have been wondering why some other clubs, clubs with less financial backing, are ready.

This is a question that has gone unanswered by most of the clubs that have decided to ignore the tournament.

The fact that the NFA has indicated that it will take legal action against the clubs that chose not to be part of the tournament adds extra misery to the helpless players.

We all thought that things were finally falling into place for football after the administrators' meeting with President Hage Geingob.

It appeared as if the light is finally shining upon our beautiful game with MTC, Debmarine and many other companies showing their interest in football again.

However, with what is happening now, I feel that this will probably drive away many other potential sponsors.

My understanding is that more premier league clubs have also drawn knives against the tournament and will probably not be part of next weekend's matches.

My advice to these clubs is that they must reconsider their decisions for the sake of the players who are desperate to play.

It is about time that we let go of our personal egos and targets and think of the people that are directly affected by our decisions.

We will never be able to fix problems if our decisions are based on vengeance and piloted by power-hungry motives.

Enough is enough with this unwise administration that has been going on for so long in our beautiful game.

It is time we stand together as people born under the same sun rather than acting as if we come from different planets.



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