20 February 2013
NAMIBIA : Not All Is Well in Basketball
Windhoek — Speaking to New Era Sports strictly on condition of anonymity, a disgruntled member of the Namibia Basketball Federation (NBF) expressed dismay over what he described as the sloppy manner in which the NBF is administered, including its financial affairs, which are said to be in shambles.
The aggrieved member pulled no punches lambasting officials at the helm of the NBF for allegedly failing to provide updated financial reports and bank statements at the recently concluded Extraordinary Congress of the NBF held in Otjiwarongo last Saturday, adding that congress attendants merely received verbal accounts on how monies were spent.
George Simataa from the Caprivi Region was elected as the new NBF president, while Andrew Masongo, who was also the acting president of the NBF following the hasty departure of Kerii Tjitendero, retained the position of vice-president. Petrie Kamatoto from the Erongo Region was elected as the new treasurer.
The aggrieved member also informed New Era Sports that a few delegates from various regions were not entirely happy with the NBF constitution, claiming that it is riddled with too many loopholes. Moreover, they claim that the existing constitution does not cover all aspects of the game and are now demanding its proper review.
Meanwhile, financial challenges within the regions and the absence of development programmes were also among the issues considered to be hampering progress within the basketball fraternity.
The NBF has also come under a heavy barrage of criticism for apparently turning a blind eye to qualified national coaches the NBF sent to training workshops last year. The coaches obtained International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Level-1 coaching diplomas, but have had no single opportunity to coach.
People with intimate knowledge of the inner doings at the troubled federation acknowledged the ongoing administrative shenanigans that have bedeviled domestic basketball for quite a while, but were reluctant to say it out loud.
The aggrieved member pulled no punches lambasting officials at the helm of the NBF for allegedly failing to provide updated financial reports and bank statements at the recently concluded Extraordinary Congress of the NBF held in Otjiwarongo last Saturday, adding that congress attendants merely received verbal accounts on how monies were spent.
George Simataa from the Caprivi Region was elected as the new NBF president, while Andrew Masongo, who was also the acting president of the NBF following the hasty departure of Kerii Tjitendero, retained the position of vice-president. Petrie Kamatoto from the Erongo Region was elected as the new treasurer.
The aggrieved member also informed New Era Sports that a few delegates from various regions were not entirely happy with the NBF constitution, claiming that it is riddled with too many loopholes. Moreover, they claim that the existing constitution does not cover all aspects of the game and are now demanding its proper review.
Meanwhile, financial challenges within the regions and the absence of development programmes were also among the issues considered to be hampering progress within the basketball fraternity.
The NBF has also come under a heavy barrage of criticism for apparently turning a blind eye to qualified national coaches the NBF sent to training workshops last year. The coaches obtained International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Level-1 coaching diplomas, but have had no single opportunity to coach.
People with intimate knowledge of the inner doings at the troubled federation acknowledged the ongoing administrative shenanigans that have bedeviled domestic basketball for quite a while, but were reluctant to say it out loud.