South African Football Association (SAFA) president, Danny Jordaan, asserted that the state of football in the country is satisfactory and in capable hands. There is no indication of a crisis, he added.
The 73-year-old former parliamentarian articulated the above sentiments during SAFA’s NEC congress held on Saturday in Sandton. He sidestepped many pertinent questions posed by the media, including his own stay at the helm of SAFA.
“It is regrettable that many of you (journalists) are concentrating on negative aspects rather than acknowledging the advancements made by the association over the past year,” remarked Jordaan.
Finances in bad shape
Recently, Jordaan and his executive team appeared before the parliamentary sports portfolio committee, where they faced rigorous questioning regarding SAFA’s alleged financial irregularities and mismanagement.
Jordaan refuted any claims of financial mismanagement within the association. “I am unaware of any financial mismanagement, and to my knowledge, the financial statements of SAFA were released and unanimously approved by all executive members.”
The good news
“We cannot overlook the fact that, as a nation, we are progressing remarkably well in terms of our international football standards,” Jordaan continued.
“Mamelodi Sundowns has performed admirably, earning four points during their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, thereby garnering international respect for our country. That alone speaks volumes, especially considering that many of those players represent our senior team, Bafana Bafana,” stated Jordaan, fielding some questions of his choosing. The others he referred to his vice, Linda Zwane and the CEO, Lydia Monyepao.
“Our women’s senior team, Banyana Banyana, is currently in Morocco to defend their title at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Additionally, our national under-20 team, Amajita, has recently brought us pride by winning the African Youth Championship.
“These accomplishments by our national teams, particularly the under-17 and under-20 squads qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. This should serve as a testament to SAFA’s unwavering commitment to elevating our performance on the international stage, positioning this country among the world’s elite, despite the fact that out of the association’s ten teams, only two—Banyana Banyana and Bafana Bafana—are currently sponsored.”
Own position untenable
When questioned about purported attempts by some executive members to remove him from his position as SAFA president, Jordaan claimed that no such motion had ever been passed. “I am not aware of any such matters within our association.”
The CEO, Monyepao, addressed Banyana Banyana’s earlier threats not to honour their matches in Morocco, where they are expected to commence their WAFCON title defense this coming week.
“The matter pertains to the friendly matches played in the preceding months—the match against Malawi and the Three Nations series games against Zambia and Botswana—and not the WAFCON itself.
“The disagreement stemmed from the scheduling of payment dates. Regarding the bonuses, we have since resolved that issue. We recognise our commitment to the players, and for friendly matches, we provide a 30-day notice,” she explained.
“However, I believe that as a federation, we are currently navigating our financial performance, which was extensively discussed during the SAFA Congress on Saturday, and deliberated upon in terms of our path forward, ensuring that we can meet our obligations. As the Vice President has stated, the matter has been settled.”
