The Namibia Football Association's plans to kick off its Namibia Premier Football League this weekend appear to be in disarray due to opposition from the majority of clubs over administrative shortcomings.
Information at hand suggests that only five of the 16 'invited' clubs are aligned to the NFA's plans, while the remaining teams are objecting to the league starting on Saturday.
This came to the fore following a meeting between the NFA and clubs on Monday night.
Tentatively, African Stars and Unam are set to get the ball rolling at Unam Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with the rest of the clubs only expected to join the action on 12 and 13 November.
The disgruntled 11 are Black Africa, Blue Waters, Citizens, Civics, Eleven Arrows, Julinho Sporting, Mighty Gunners, Orlando Pirates, Tigers, Young African and Young Brazilian.
These clubs wrote to interim NFA secretary general Jochen Traut on Monday expressing reservations about the organisation of the league.
Essentially, the clubs feel ill-prepared and have given the NFA until Friday to address their concerns.
The NFA did not offer a position on the matter yesterday as promised.
Part of the consternation is that there is little information forthcoming about the returning league for the clubs or public as the NFA continues to operate under a veil of secrecy.
The aggrieved clubs "feel excluded from this process" and claim to be in the dark regarding the terms of the N$13 million sponsorship agreement between the NFA and Debmarine Namibia.
The funds are insufficient, and "the type of league we are about to commence does not align with the statutes or rules and regulations", the 11 clubs contest.
"The contract may have conflicting matters in relation to our rights," the clubs said.
They are yet to receive feedback on the league format and adoption of the fixtures with less than four days to kick off.
"In your letter addressed to the members with respect to the pre-season preparations, no funds have been disbursed to the respective members to ready the teams for the commencement of the league," the clubs said in the letter to Traut.
"It's Fifa standards that at least six weeks preparation period be given and was emphasised in the just ended Uefa workshop that the health of players should be prioritised."
Furthermore, the issue around the composition of the Namibia Premier Football League (NPFL) and eligibility refuses to go away. The 11 opposed clubs are demanding that the NFA explain how African Stars, Life Fighters, Unam and Okahandja United obtained NPFL membership without congress approval.
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The above mentioned four clubs are yet to denounce their affiliation to the Namibia Premier League, which was kicked out of the NFA structures in 2020 and replaced with the NPFL.
Fifa allows only one top tier league in the country.
The absence of a league prosecutor, national dispute resolution chamber and arbitration tribunal for the calamity-ridden domestic football scene is another notable concern.
The clubs also want to know which constitutional body adopted the amendment of the rules in the absence of a congress, and why league director Mabos Vries is being sidelined.
"Your decision without any adoption of any statutory body contravenes rule 8.3.3.3 of the NFA rules and regulations," the clubs said.
It is also unclear if admission for the public is free, and what incentives, if any, there are for revellers to attend matches featuring poorly conditioned footballers.
