Sinking to new lows
IN recent months the football fraternity has been forced to bear witness to what can only be akin to a soap opera of stupendous, if not stupid, proportions.
There is no doubt a toxic environment prevails in the corridors of power at Safa House over the claims and counter-claims apropos the presidential elections for the SA Football Association.
There has been push back to the candidature of outgoing president Danny Jordaan, with some feeling that someone else should be afforded the opportunity to run the national body.
There has been spirited criticism at the long-serving Jordaan, who, some say, has served his time.
A former PSL manager Andile “Ace” Ncobo has made it clear that Safa under Jordaan is flouting Fifa statutes on so many fronts.
This week Ncobo came out guns blazing and stated passionately that the grey suits at Safa are running the organisation “illegally”.
To add veracity to his contention, he accused the body of having no auditor; cannot hold on to its current sponsors; and is legalising ‘violations’ of the electoral codes, all taboos as far as Fifa is concerned.
Furthermore, he claims Safa is in breach of the Companies Act, which insists a registered entity must have reputable auditors.
But Safa in response says that it is all hot air, with CEO Dennis Mumble’s biting comment that Ncobo should present the evidence to prove his allegations.
“He is a clown and cannot be taken seriously. He has made countless allegations against Safa over the past few months but he is yet to prove anything,” said Mumble.
This is how far this type of bluster has deteriorated as slurs seem to become the order of the day.
The football community will be looking at this sorry state of affairs with a degree of disapproval and, perhaps, outrage at how low the administrators have sunk.
This week top clubs – Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs – were slapped with heavy sanctions for their supporters’ poor conduct at PSL matches.
It is an indictment on the sport that there is such a lack of tolerance poisoning the beautiful game.
It is time the warring parties patch up their differences and stop making a laughing stock of themselves – both on and off the field of play.
No wonder there is no improvement on the international front with Bafana Bafana still in the doldrums and it does not look like it’s getting better anytime soon. We hope sanity will prevail at Safa’s general assembly next week.