NPL not close to appointing CEO yet: Ngarizemo

WINDHOEK, 29 MAR – The Namibia Premier League (NPL) will not be appointing a chief executive officer (CEO) soon as previously reported, Executive Committee member Maleagi Ngarizemo said on Wednesday.
He was speaking at the weekly NPL engagement where he said the league’s chairperson will pronounce himself on the matter soon.
“The chairperson and the vice chairperson are dealing with that issue, they will answer that. They have engaged a potential candidate and approached the [sport] ministry, but I can confirm that as it stands, there is no CEO appointment imminent,” Ngarizemo said.
He said Patrick Kauta, the chairperson of the league who was supposed to make the announcement at the media conference, had flown out of the country earlier on Wednesday.
Kauta was also supposed to speak about the issue of the first division which is not active while the NPL is about to conclude, meaning the promotion and relegation of teams are compromised.
Meanwhile, the NPL has reviewed its last five fixtures list.
Initially, the two travelling teams were supposed to play each other on the last day of the season, but that fixture has been moved to 07 April.
The last four fixtures will be played the weekend of 14 April, while the last round is scheduled for 05 and 06 May.
“If you look at the log, the top eight teams are battling for top bracket positions while the bottom eight are fighting relegation, so the remaining games will be played at the same time depending on the availability of stadiums,” Ngarizemo said.
He added that they have also set their sights on holding the end of the season awards by the end of May following the conclusion of the season and Debmarine Namibia Cup.
Ngarizemo furthermore said they are busy negotiating with various sponsors for the introduction of more cup competitions.
“We will be approaching our sponsors to talk to them about potential sponsors who we feel may pose a conflict of interest. We want to have a top eight competition, and we are engaging an additional sponsor, as long as Mobile Telecommunications Limited and First National Bank have no issue with that,” Ngarizemo said.
He said for the 2018/19 season, they are hoping to start as early as August with a possibility of having to play one game a weekend, compared to the current double-header weekend.

NAMPA