Namibian Premier League benchmarks in BFL
lowing the NPL’s refusal to promote Orlando Pirates and Civics to the Premier League, after the NC had earlier requested them to do so in terms of ‘ sporting merit.’ The NPL maintained that it did not have the power to do so after none of its 13 members submitted a proposal to amend its constitution to allow the two clubs back, the matter dragged on and there has not been any football league in Namibia since then. The BFL Chairman and Gaborone United Director, Nicolas Zakhem confirmed the reports and said the BFL and the Namibian Premier League officials have started engagements on the subject.
“They have not had any football league activities for a while and they approached us for a benchmarking exercise on how we managed our transition to become an autonomous entity. We are progressing and we have since adopted a resolution to help them return to competitive league action,” Zakhem shared. Botswana and Namibia governments have been in constant engagements at Ministerial level regarding the possibility of hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations ( AFCON). “There is good relations between the two countries, as you may be aware, they are planning to bid for AFCON 2027 together and they ( NFL) have looked at our league and felt that we can help them return to action,” Zakhem stated. The BFL statement, released on Tuesday stated that the board has resolved to adopt the Memorandum of Understanding with the Namibian Premier League, a process which is set to aid the return to play of the Namibian league as early as possible.
The statement further revealed that there is a need to promote special bilateral cooperation plans, with a view to strengthen and support football development in the two organizations which could enhance institutional cooperation between the entities in the professional football sector.
There has been an influx of Namibian football talents in the country with the likes of Rudath Wendell and Marcel Papama at Galaxy, setting the league ablaze with sparkling displays.
Masitaoka, who were threatened by relegation, turned to Namibian talents as they acquired services of Ivan Kamberipa and Aubrey Omseb who have since added quality to the side and elevated them from slipping down into the relegation spot.
Towering Centre back, Kennedy Amutenya is currently with log leaders, Gaborone United. Jerome Louis and Benson Shilongo are some of the Namibian players who are wildly celebrated in the country, following their successful spells with Township Rollers and Gaborone United respectively.