The country is burning, and the masses are frothing at the mouth with uncontrollable anger, after Fifa docked Bafana Bafana three valuable points, putting the dream of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in jeopardy.
An administrative bungling, one of many, saw Bafana field ineligible Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho in Polokwane in March. Fifa investigated and sanctioned SA by docking three points and awarded Lesotho a mandatory 3-0 win.
Coach Hugo Broos must be cursing expletives in his native tongue. He must have lost the little silver curly tops that were left on his cranium his young guns punched above their weight and the nation has regained its respect and fearsome in the continent, only to be let down by dozy office bearers who have never kicked a soccer ball in their lives.
But to Safa’s head honchos, president Danny Jordaan and some NEC members, this is just another scandal to sweep under the carpet. In a couple of weeks, the feeble diski supporters would have quietened down, Bafana will most probably qualify, and so what?
“What was the noise all about, we qualified, didn’t we?” the executives will say as they take their shiny suits to the dry cleaners in preparation for the gravy plane to the US, Mexico and Canada, where the World Cup will be played next year.
They could not be bothered about this week’s disheartening events, because with national elections less than a year away, the fight for the control of the Safa Nelson Mandela Bay region (Gqeberha) between Jordaan and the “suspended” current president Simpihwe Mkhangelwa will soon reach fever pitch.
Mkhangelwa’s suspension is being interpreted as a political hit job. Not only is Mkhangelwa one of Jordaan’s fiercest critics in the Safa NEC, but he also presides over Jordaan’s home region, the one region whose nomination Jordaan must secure if he wishes to run again.
Insiders suggest Mkhangelwa has no intention of putting Jordaan’s name forward for the presidential elections next year. This simply means Jordaan has no local football association that will nominate him.
That prospect has reportedly rattled Jordaan’s inner circle. It would not be the first time regional suspensions were used as a blunt instrument in Safa political wars. Whispers are already circulating that Jordaan is quietly courting alternative nominations from Tshwane and Johannesburg.
Yet, both options look precarious. Solly Mohlabeng, the Tshwane president, who Jordaan obliterated in the 2022 election, remains locked in a bitter dispute, hardly a reliable ally. Meanwhile, Phil Mogodi, Johannesburg’s powerful regional president, has recently signalled on national radio that he harbours his own presidential ambitions.
In other words, Jordaan may be running out of safe havens. His home base is hostile, Tshwane is unpredictable, and Johannesburg could become a rival’s launch pad.
Jordaan’s victory margin in 2022 was decisive, but the contest left scars. Both Mohlabeng and veteran administrator Ria Ledwaba still dispute the fairness of the election, alleging that Jordaan and his allies bent the rules, sidelining and even suspending rivals.
There has been a jamboree of suspension letters in the Gqeberha region in the last couple of weeks, and the matter was exacerbated by a near punch-up between Jordaan and Mkhangelwa before an NEC meeting in Bloemfontein.
Jordaan attempted to stop Mkhangelwa from attending the meeting, as he was suspended by his region.
Mkhangelwa forced his way into the meeting hall. The duo was involved in a shoving and pushing skirmish, and they have now opened assault cases against each other.
All these sideshows are happening at the expense of Bafana, the darlings of the nation.
It’s never about those sweating blood on the field for their country and at the same time bringing back the sponsors to a cash-strapped, poorly run association.
One day, history will judge the NEC members who are just happy to be on the gravy train.
