Ncobo claims mismanagement, says Safa’s Jordaan should go
GIVING his interpretation of the South African Football Association (Safa) statutes, presidential nominee Ace Ncobo has questioned the eligibility of incumbent Danny Jordaan, arguing why he should be removed from the top administrative post.
Ncobo held a press conference yesterday ahead of what is turning out to be a muddled build-up to the Safa elections on March 24.
There, the former Premier Soccer League referee and one-time general manager – quite reminiscent of his famous ‘football is rotten to the core’ remarks in 2009 following his dismissal as PSL GM – said the following of his rival for the presidency:
Jordaan’s term in office expired in September last year and he has continued in that capacity illegally
Questioned why “disgraced” auditing firm KPMG accepted nominations for the Safa presidency despite terminating their contract with the association two months ago
Jordaan, the Safa CEO Dennis Mumble and the NEC are mismanaging finances
Questioned why schools football was sidelined by the mother body
Claimed that Fifa did not have confidence in Jordaan to lead the organisation and demanded that Safa be placed under administration.
There was more, but Ncobo did not have enough time. He suggested that he also received more nominations for the presidency than Safa had led the public to believe. “First of all the statutes say the number of nominations should not be disclosed. I therefore cannot say that and then reveal how many I got, but I will confirm that I signed several nomination forms, not just one,” he said, disputing a press statement last month that while Jordaan had amassed 52, Ncobo had only received a single nomination.
Ncobo emerged as a contender for the Safa presidency late last month after the Amathole region gave him the one nomination that is on the record.
But Ncobo maintains he is not interested in being a Safa president. “I was hurting and getting messages and calls from people about leadership in our football and I felt I needed to do something,” he explained, “I don’t care for positions, I don’t want to be a Safa president – there are people better equipped. What I don’t want to see is Danny Jordaan abusing power. He must go home.”
Ncobo is the only presidential candidate to be successfully deemed eligible to challenge Jordaan, with former Bafana captain Lucas Radebe and Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana unqualified to run for elections. Shakes Mashaba was also prohibited by the Legends and Masters Association, which he is a member of and was threatened with legal action.
This is why Ncobo argued Jordaan was abusing his power as the current head of the organisation.
“Safa reported a R23-million profit last year, but the regions have not received their monthly grant. Also, how can you expect a region to survive with R35 000 a month for development? What we want is for Safa head office to be taking care of the nation – take 90 percent of the budget to the regions and find multiple revenue streams,” said Ncobo.
On the treatment of Radebe and Tokyo Sexwale, yet another man who was touted for the Safa presidency until he was also told he, too, did not qualify, Ncobo remarked: “How can one of our best exports and someone who captained his country and a team in the English Premier League suddenly be a nobody? He serves in the structures, but their definition of a structure is the executive. We can’t all be in the executive, the same one Fifa said must be reduced, but still isn’t.”
Ncobo would not discuss his manifesto for the change that he says is needed in South African football. “If I do it would mean I am acknowledging this flawed process. There will be no elective congress. My recommendation is that Fifa must place Safa under administration,” he said.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has since withdrawn from assisting Safa with its elections later this month, but CEO Mumble has said they will go ahead as planned, perhaps with the help of world governing body Fifa.