Namibian stadium under the hammer

The Namibia Rugby Union have rejected an offer from the government to settle their debts, which has left the Hage Geingob Stadium up for auction at the end of the month.

The government’s offer to settle the N$ 3,4 million debt had the condition that the ownership of the stadium would also change hands, which is where the talks stalled.

“We are not going to assist the Rugby Union in settling their debt,” Director of sport Vetumbuavi Veii told Allafrica.com. “For reasons known only to the Rugby Union and the rugby executive they are refusing this offer. Let them sort out their own house.”

“We cannot keep bailing out the Rugby Union,” he said. “We have already done it three times.

“We cannot use Government money to keep paying for a property which does not belong to government.”

Veii claimed there was much more at play then the Union would let on.

“We made it very clear that the stadium will still be for rugby,” said Veii. “There are some individuals within the rugby fraternity that are interested in seeing this rugby stadium in private hands and as a result they are using this as a tactic to block everything else, resorting to the constitution and wanting to have an AGM.”