Rea“„—aelesntsˆaomr ’or—i˜rna…s›ǡ SAFA! Ria issues rallying cry
JOHANNESBURG – Former South African Football Association (SAFA) vice-president Ria Ledwaba says the legends and supporters have the power to stop the rot at the ruling body and in the sport in the country.
Ledwaba addressed a press conference in Randburg on Wednesday in response to being declared ‘persona non grata’ by SAFA on March 6, a ban that was lifted in a letter to Ledwaba that she said was emailed late on Tuesday night.
Ledwaba received 27 votes challenging president Danny Jordaan, who won with 186 votes, in the 2022 SAFA elective congress, which she unsuccessfully tried to challenge via arbitration at the association and in REVEALED: Wrexham’s soaring value since Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought the Welsh club, as they push for promotion into League One. The Welsh club’s profile has grown significantly since Reynolds and McElhenney arrived, not least because of the success of the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary. Director Shaun Harvey, the former EFL chief executive, revealed Wrexham’s huge growth during a speech at the SportNXT conference in Australia. the courts.
She launched several broadsides at SAFA and Jordaan on Wednesday in a briefing attended by some of her supporters, including Bafana Bafana legend Doctor Khumalo, former SAFA CEOs Gay Mokoena and Leslie Sedibe and members of Ledwaba’s legal team.
At one stage Ledwaba addressed Khumalo directly. “We know the facts we are putting on the table are evidence. We are not just waking up saying, ‘We want to remove Danny Jordaan from office’,” she said.
“It has never been my vision to remove anyone from SAFA, There is nothing that will stop me. I will not be silenced. I’m going to stand up because I am standing up for football. The fight that Portia (Modise, former Banyana star), the legends are putting up should, not me.
“At the funeral of (former Kaizer Chiefs star and TV analyst) Siphiwe Mkhonza I said to the legends - and I’m going to say it again, Doctor - the legends of this country have got the power to change the status quo in South Africa.
“But you can only do it if you are united. This thing of being called to the (SAFA) offices, and then it’s, ‘Doctor, tell me what position do you want, what national team do you want to coach?’ must stop.
Jordaan has withstood a barrage of criticism in the past 10 years including scathing reports alleging mismanagement by former SAFA CEOs Mokoena and Dennis Mumble and more recently a memo circulated by Vice-President Gladwyn White.
TENNIS
MIAMI GARDENS – Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday addressed the death of her former partner Konstantin Koltsov with a statement posted to her Instagram story and released by her agent.
“Konstantin’s death is an unthinkable tragedy, and while we were no longer together, my heart is broken,” Sabalenka wrote. “Please respect my privacy and his family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
Koltsov, a retired professional hockey player who represented Belarus at the 2002 and 2010 Olympic Games and was a former member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, died Monday in Miami in what police ruled an apparent suicide.
Sabalenka and Koltsov began dating in 2021 and had not publicly revealed they had broken up. Koltsov, 42, had three children from a previous relationship.
Practiced
Sabalenka, the world No. 2 and twotime reigning Australian Open champion, remained in the Miami Open draw following the news of Koltsov’s death and practiced at the tournament Tuesday, wearing all black.
It was reported she would not be withdrawing from the event but would not be speaking to the media during the tournament.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka, 25, is due to play in the second round of the Miami Open today against Spaniard Paula Badosa. Badosa is a close-friend of Sabalenka’s and said the match would be ‘uncomfortable’.