Ballotti's ‘cryptic’ post triggers hopefuls

Deputy minister of sports Dino Ballotti has revealed that his recent social media post showing him in a stadium in South Korea was a “cryptic message” hinting at upcoming developments. The post captioned “Soon soon!” captured from the Jeonju World Cup Stadium which holds a capacity of 34,276 triggered a reaction from many Namibians who are desperate to watch their national team play at home. Fans put the question to the minister if this was a sign that Namibia was about to build a stadium of such standards in the country.Ballotti however played down such enthusiasm, stating he would rather hold his “cards close to his chest” for now. “If anything, the post was intended to be a cryptic message, because we know that as a country we want to have our structures developed. “I was in Korea for an engagement and visited some of their sports infrastructure to observe and see what we can do for Namibia.“There has been a budget allocated towards infrastructure for sports, but I guess all this and the trip will make sense once all plans are in motion,” Ballotti said. Namibia has been without a proper FIFA-accredited football stadium for a number of years now, after football’s world governing body declared both the Independence Stadium in Olympia and Sam Nujoma Stadium in Katutura as unfit for the hosting of international matches.It is for this reason that home matches of Namibia’s national men’s and women’s teams have been scheduled in South Africa, most often in Soweto.The ministry of sport, who owns the Independence Stadium, has repeatedly promised the nation that they will renovate the stadium up to standard.The government has allocated N$1.3 billion to the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture for the 2025-2026 financial year.The funding includes N$200 million for the construction of Category 2 stadiums nationwide, N$200 million for basic sports infrastructure development, and N$50 million to support sports leagues.

Ballotti's ‘cryptic’ post triggers hopefuls

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Republikein 2025-08-01

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Ballotti's ‘cryptic’ post triggers hopefuls

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