Buddha Mathathe, the president of the SA Masters & Legends Football Association (SAMLFA), accused SA Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan and CEO Lydia Monyepao of holding meetings with individuals calling themselves SAMLFA’s interim national leadership at Safa House last Friday.
Mathathe is also a Safa national executive committee member.
According to Mathathe, the Safa hierarchy wants to eliminate the need for the current SAMLFA by operating a parallel masters and legends structure.
SAMLFA is Safa’s associate member that represents masters, legends, and veterans who were, at some point, in the forefront of SA football.
SAMLFA members include retired SA soccer luminaries such as Doctor Khumalo, Lucas Radebe, Brian Baloyi, Bashin Mahlangu, Fani Madida, Joseph “Banks” Sethlodi, Patson “Kamuzu” Banda, Joel “Ace” Mnini, Thomas Ngobe, Cyprian “Mahala” Maimane, Zebulon “Sputla” Nhlapo, Sibusiso Zuma, Siyabonga “Bhele” Nomvete, and Sandile “AK-47” Ndlovu, to mention but a few.
Association demands explanation
On Tuesday, Mathathe wrote a letter to Monyepao and Jordaan with regard to last Friday’s meeting.
“SAMLFA is gravely concerned with regard to your meeting on Friday, 12 December, at Safa House with individuals calling themselves SAMLFA’s interim national leadership with the Safa president, Dr Danny Jordaan,” reads the letter, which Sunday World has seen.
“Fifa, CAF, and Safa have members, and these organisations deal with their members only. I have, on numerous occasions, including in e-mails, reiterated Safa’s constitutional mandate to only deal with members.
“Your meeting on December 12 with individuals who are not members of your associate member [SAMLFA] with the Safa president, Dr Jordaan, raises some serious concerns about the motive of the meeting.
“It will be interesting to know and understand why you decided with the Safa president to compromise the Safa statutes and meet individuals outside the dictates of the Safa decrees without the president of the organisation they are claiming to be part of.”
Division among legends
The letter continues: “SAMLFA has been a proud member of Safa since 2003, and our organisation is a key stakeholder in matters of football in our country.
“It represents masters, legends, and veterans who have made a massive contribution to football development in our country. We deserve to be treated with some respect.”
Mathathe said that the division among legends and former professional football players was deliberate.
“These selfish and self-centred individuals want to keep us divided so that we do not focus on the leadership of football in the country,” he said.
“They are fully aware that once we unite and speak with one voice, we will be able to take over the running of football in this country.
“We want to emulate what Dr Kaizer Motaung did in leading the campaign to break away from NPSL [National Premier Soccer League] to form Safa that we have today.”
