Prominent lawyer Patrick Kauta and businessman Robert Shimooshili are both convinced they should be charged with the responsibility of reviving the fortunes of the beleaguered Namibia Football Association (NFA).
The two were announced as candidates for the NFA presidency on Tuesday night, following a vetting process.
The NFA currently falls under the Fifa Normalisation Committee until the association’s executive council elections are held on 17 November.
Their candidature is “in accordance with the revised statutes of the NFA” for two lists of nominations to fill eight positions in the executive council.
“The NFA is committed to ensuring a transparent and fair election process, and encourages all stakeholders to participate in this crucial decision-making process,” the NFA says.
Shimooshili’s team consists of Murs Markus (Southern Stream first division), and ordinary members Laurance Tommy Kandundu (North West first division), Joseph Hailombe (Ohangwena region), Precious Chaka (Zambezi region) Samwel Kamuyoyo (Kavango East region), Egidius Mangundu Nambara (Kavango West region), and Michael Situde (Hardap region).
On Kauta’s ticket are his proposed deputy, Johny Johnson Doeseb (Erongo region), Kauta’s predecessor as Namibia Premier League chairman, who also lost out to Haikali three years ago.
In the running for ordinary members from Kauta’s camp are Andreas Amesho (Oshana region), David Morgan (Khomas region) and Anna Natasha Cloete (Namibia Women’s Football).
STORIED RELATIONSHIP
Kauta has a storied relationship with Namibian football.
He lost out on the presidency to Ranga Haikali in February 2020 – a moment which sparked the debilitating boardroom fight that saw domestic football grind to a halt.
That impasse resulted in Fifa installing a normalisation committee in 2021, the second such remedial body in the five years.
Kauta was also involved in another fallout with the previous NFA normalisation committee, headed by Hilda Basson-Namundjebo, two years earlier, which was punctuated by several court cases, a practice Fifa strongly opposes.
Kauta led the now defunct Namibia Premier League (NPL), which waged war against the NFA, and eventually got expelled as a member of the national mother body for bringing football into disrepute.
Kauta and several of the NPL’s hierarchy were also indefinitely banned from football until the current normalisation committee, under the stewardship of Bisey Uirab, revoked the expulsion.
The NPL remains banned, although it has a national sport body licence from the Namibia Sports Commission.
During this tumultuous period, Kauta maintained he had the best interest of Namibian football at heart.
He wanted the domestic football mindset to change from begging bowl amateurs to self-sustaining professionals.
‘START SOMEWHERE’
“We have to start somewhere. It’s doable. Our idea is to develop Namibian football . . . in the shortest possible time of not more than two years,” he said.
“A decision was taken at the Windhoek Declaration in 2009 on professionalising our football, but 15 years later, there’s nothing.”
Kauta’s turnaround strategy for the NFA is modelled on that of neighbouring Botswana, which has a professional set-up that is yielding positive dividends.
As the chairman of African Stars, he has presided over tree title winning campaigns, while he has also ensured the club twice participated in the Confederation of African Football Champions League.
“We have implemented some things at Stars, but it can’t just be Stars. All the clubs should be striving for the same,” said Kauta, who describes himself as the ultimate football fan.
‘FORGING UNITY’
Shimooshili too is a football fanatic who played football as a youngster, like his father.
“The members approached me for a purpose, and I accepted. They know what I have done for football from grassroots to my current positions,” he said.
Shimooshili doubles as chairperson for the Namibia Premier Football League and Blue Waters.
At the top of Shimooshili’s to-do list is forging unity and inclusivity should he be elected president.
“You can have nice plans, but without unity, you will go nowhere …
“The expectation is for me to assist with balancing the football landscape. At the moment, the first, second and third divisions are inactive, but the premier division is on.
“That is unfair. All of them are football people and deserve to benefit and get support, just like the premier league.”
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