Former Banyana Banyana star and team manager Lydia Monyepao has been appointed as the new CEO of the South African Football Association (Safa), becoming the first CEO of the association.
Monyepao’s appointment comes after the resignation of advocate Tebogo Motlanthe, who departed from the top position on Friday.
Monyepao was unveiled at the Safa House on Monday morning where Motlanthe also addressed the media about his departure from the association.
The new CEO has a highly decorated CV and Safa bosses believe she is capable of running the affairs of the football mother body in the country.
Monyepao, who previously worked for Tuks Sport, has a BCom from Wits University and a BCom Honors in Accounting from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as a Masters in Sport Management she obtained from the UK.
She was also part of Fifa Women in Football Leadership Programme held in Zurich four years ago.
Her qualifications will come in handy as she occupies one of the hottest seats in South Africa.
Monyepao was recommended for the job by the outgoing Motlanthe, and it will be interesting to see how she will manoeuvre the politics and the minefield of the male-dominated football industry.
Motlanthe has been linked with a move to the Premier Soccer League and efforts from the Safa president Danny Jordaan to make him reconsider his decision were not fruitful.
Jordaan and Motlanthe met at the Houghton Hotel on Saturday night after the Soweto derby, but Motlanthe mentioned on Monday that he was leaving Safa for personal reasons.
He also explained that the leaked resignation letter which has been circulating on social media was not his.
Motlanthe was elevated to the top position in 2021 after he took over from Gay Mokoena who had a fallout with the Safa bosses.
Before Mokoena, Russell Paul was running the show before he got a better post in the Middle East. Dennis Mumble is the last full-time CEO to have been in charge.
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