Fiery Safa elective congress on cards

Safa chairman Danny Jordaan
Safa chairman Danny Jordaan
Image: Tsheko Kabasia

Danny Jordaan is expected to be elected South African Football Association president for a second five-year term by an overwhelming majority in Safa’s potentially acrimonious elective congress at the Sandton Convention Centre tomorrow.

Jordaan’s only opponent‚ former referee and ex-Premier Soccer League general manager Andile “Ace” Ncobo‚ though‚ has said he will still raise several objections about electoral processes allegedly not adhered to by Safa‚ to try to have the election called off.

Ncobo said if he was unsuccessful in that effort‚ he would run against former World Cup 2010 bid committee and organising committee chief executive Jordaan.

Ncobo has mounted several contestations to the election process‚ ostensibly playing a role in an initial date of March 24 being put off – although Safa claims that was for unrelated reasons.

The body that backs Jordaan‚ the Football Transformation Forum (FTF)‚ has claimed that as many as 48 out of Safa’s 52 regions nominated the incumbent.

Ncobo said his intention to run was for democratic purposes. “If the election proceeds, I will run in the interests of democracy. Because in a democracy you should not have a candidate elected unopposed.”

He said he intended to raise several objections, to have the elections called off.

Among these are that the nominations list for the presidency and Safa Council were issued by Safa nine days before the elective congress and not 14, as stated by its constitution.
Also‚ that there are nominees with criminal records – which Ncobo said he had documents to prove – on the Safa Council list.

This has been one of the most acrimonious‚ dirty buildups to a Safa elective congress.

Most glaringly‚ Jordaan alleged that PSL chairman Irvin Khoza was a catalyst in the rape complaint laid against him by singer and former ANC MP Jennifer Ferguson.

A wider implication was that Khoza harboured ambitions to unseat Jordaan as Safa president.

The claims were debunked by evidence emerging of falsified documentation being used to open a case of defamation against Khoza by Jordaan.

With this sort of allegations having flown‚ Ncobo said he expected an acrimonious atmosphere tomorrow.

“If what I saw at the extraordinary congress [on April 28‚ where a date for the elective congress was set], where Danny Jordaan in his speech stood and shouted at all those who had opposed him‚ is anything to go by‚ then I do not expect a good atmosphere‚” he said.

Safa communications manager Dominic Chimhavi said there would not be added security measures taken tomorrow

FTF secretary-general and Safa executive member Mzwandile Maforvane could not be reached for comment.

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