CEP releases recommendations for NPL

The Committee of Eminent Persons (CEP) established by the sports ministry to investigate the current football impasse has written to the Namibia Premier League (NPL) with recommendations of their findings.

In a letter addressed to the NPL chairman Patrick Kauta, the committee established two months ago, recommended that both the League and the Namibia Football Association (NFA) review their constitutional findings.

The letter which was seen by Nampa also recommended that the NPL consider withdrawing the Court of Arbitration for Sport case to allow for peace and give dialogue a chance.

“The NPL is encouraged to deregister the section 21 Professional League and in addition, commit to fully subordinate themselves to the statutes and leadership of the NFA as the sole regulator of all forms of football in Namibia,” the letter reads.

The CEP also recommended that the NPL review its statutes and all members/clubs to have an equal say and participation in decision making as it appears that only the Executive Committee makes all the decisions, with little participation from the Board of Governors.

It further recommended that the NPL and NFA formalise their relationship by a way of a Memorandum of Agreement or licensing agreement for the running of the premier and first division league.

“Both organisations have fundamental governance issues that need to be streamlined and amend the statutes to make provisions for an aligned relationship,” the report added.

The recommendations further state that the two bodies amend their constitutions for more structured collegiality in order to avoid disrupting football in the future.

Efforts by Nampa to get hold of the report by the CEP and the recommendations made to the NFA proved fruitless at the time of going to print.

The committee was established by sports minister Agnes Tjongarero in September and comprised of Roswitha Gamachas a legal expert in the Attorney General’s Office; NSC board member Thomas Mbeeli; Heritha Nankole Muyoba, a governance expert; rugby sports administrator Walter Don; BroMatthew Shinguadja, the Executive Director in the labour ministry and Stanley Mutoya the current CEO of Region Five. – Nampa