The South African Football Association’s (Safa) effort to host the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup collapsed after it failed to get government guarantees and the association was not fully prepared to present a winning bid.
Sunday World has been reliably informed there was not a single cent in the bid committee’s coffers, which was launched at the recent 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
A government official, who opted to remain anonymous, revealed Safa had also approached the nine provinces but none was keen on partnering for
Safa’s bid.
“There are scandals, one after the other, like the Fifa R500-million legacy trust fund given to Safa after the 2010 World Cup.
“There are also internal squabbles. The state of affairs at the federation contributed immensely to government not pumping funds into the bid.
“The bid also did not have a national cohesion feel and was not of national importance.
“The federation has still not professionalised women’s football,” said the official.
“As a result, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Zizi Kodwa told Safa they are not prepared to endorse the bid unless it is a winning bid, like the one of the 2023 Netball World Cup, which was a huge success.
“He advised them to pull out and to get their ducks in a row and maybe aim to bid for the 2031 tournament,” he added.
On Friday night, Safa announced its withdrawal from bidding.
“It is quite unfortunate that we have to pull out of bidding for the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup. We felt it was better to present a well-prepared bid for the 2031 Fifa Women’s World Cup and ensure we put our best foot forward, rather than producing a rushed presentation,” said Safa CEO Lydia Monyepao.
Kodwa’s spokesperson Litha Mpondwana said the minister will address the issue at a press conference in Pretoria on Tuesday.
