Corporates, don’t give up on football!

JESSE JACKSON KAURAISAWhen a child is misbehaving at home, as parents, our role is not to chase them away but to mentor them into becoming the child that we hope them to be.

Having noted that, I see football as the child of corporate Namibia and all stakeholders.

That is why I am penning this column, begging corporate Namibia to keep their faith in our football regardless of the ongoing shenanigans.

Yes, we all have been reading about the negativity in our football and how it has affected the players.

A child might misbehave but if you give up on that child and chase them away, the consequences become even greater than keeping the child and mentoring them.

The fear that I have is that corporate Namibia is slowly losing faith in this county’s football because of the continuous infighting.

I myself almost lost hope but as a Namibian son of this soil, I decided to keep the faith that maybe there will be light at the end of dark tunnel Namibian football has been walking in.

Football is this country’s baby and as a country we cannot afford to dump the baby even if the situation has appeared bleak for so many years.

The beautiful game is still the most popular sport in the world and it can still provide corporate Namibia with ultimate mileage once it is restored.

Football sells like crazy and countries such as South Africa, Egypt and England are testament to the importance of football.

I urge corporate Namibia not to look at the leaders when considering having faith in the game but to consider the over 1000 players and their families that depend on football to make a living.

Think about that vendor that comes to the game in order to sell food just to take something back home.

Think about that referee that comes to officiate a match just to take bread back to his family.

All these people have struggled dearly ever since football came to a halt.

It has been the most difficult period of many of these footballers who have nowhere to turn to.

That is why it is important that corporate Namibia does not give up on the game as this could break the dreams of those who strive to become global stars.

My advice to those in football leadership structures is that once a solution is found and peace is restored, please show corporate Namibia that you can operate in a harmonious way.

Show corporate Namibia that football is the biggest game in the world and the mileage it gives knows no boundaries.

This will be a time when you as football leaders prove yourselves that the game will not be played in boardrooms and courtrooms but on the football pitch.

These players have gone through so much pain already and we do not want to see them go through further sorrow and despair as they already have.

The game has been tainted by all the negative publicity, but as a leadership you can paint it with new hope and restoration.

There were times when everything in our football game flourished and we all want to relive such moments.

We all want to see the game elevated to a professional level in this country and that can only be achieved if we all as a nation unite and root for a harmonised game.

There is only one way to restore this game and it is when corporate Namibia and those in football leadership structures form coalitions in an attempt to professionalise the game.

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