Safa brass to tackle boardroom spats between warring parties

SAFA national heavyweights, vice-president Lucas Nhlapho and head of membership affairs Andile Ndengezi, are visiting East London to meet the Buffalo City regional leadership and the EL Central LFA in two separate meetings at the Garden Court Hotel today.

According to Ndengezi, although resolving the differences between Safa-Buffalo City and Central LFA is high on their agenda, the main objective of the visit was to attend to “general issues” facing the region.

The tussle between the region and the North End-based LFA was of concern to the head office, added Ndengezi, because it was dragging the name of the association down. The Dispatch has reported extensively on the matter over several months.

Recently, Safa-BC suspended 16-EL Central affiliated teams for playing in a North End tournament that was held in parallel to an Easter Tournament organised by the region. In retaliation, Central terminated Seagulls’ membership – one of their clubs – for playing in the region’s tournament.

At the centre of the squabble has been the suspension of Central chairman, Gavin van Rooyen, who has since appealed his suspension.

Ndengezi said such negativity playing itself out in the media was hurting the “good name” of Safa.

“It is of great concern to head office because historically the same problems have plagued this region and Safa is in a process to clean its name and brand,” said Ndengezi yesterday.

“That is part of the reason we are here because we do not want negativity associated with our association.”

They had decided to meet the two warring parties separately, said Ndengezi, to avoid potential physical confrontation as was the case when the very two national office-bearers travelled to Ethekwini in February.

“We expect harmony to prevail, that is why we are meeting them separately,” he said.

“But we cannot reduce this visit to the disagreements between the region and Central.

“We are here in the main to address general issues such as developmental work being done at regional level and stuff like that,” he continued.

“We are also here to check if everything is going well, see where we can assist where there are challenges like we are doing at all our regions.”

Meanwhile, Safa-BC is holding an extraordinary congress tomorrow, to which Central is not invited.