Heat is on for Jordaan

HECTIC: NEW SAFA BOSS SAYS THAT HE’S BEEN THERE FOR A LONG TIME Sponsors conundrum a hot potato for president.

ou cannot find fault when Danny Jordaan says his two months as the new Safa president feels like two years. Looking at how the organisation has hogged the headlines for all the wrong reasons, anyone leading it is bound to be feeling the heat.

The reason behind the pressure on the top man at Safa House is that the association has lost almost all its backers, does not enjoy good relations with the public, and has failed to see national teams make meaningful progress.

“Yes, it does feel like I have been here for one-and-half years,” Jordaan said this week. “It has been hectic.” So far, Safa has lost banking giants Absa as its one of the main sponsors, while technical suppliers, German sports apparel company Puma, has also cut ties with the country’s football mother body.

And as things stand, there have been no concrete replacements for the two sponsors.

But at Safa’s dinner in Sandton on Tuesday night, Jordaan said his organisation is attracting the corporate world like worm bait attracts fish.

“We have had companies calling us and seeking to have meetings with us in order to come on board,” Jordaan revealed.

The former 2010 World Cup CEO defended the current regime over losing their sponsors, maintaining those backers had already cut ties with Safa when he took of- fice on September 28.

“Yes, those sponsors had already left before I started as president,” he said.

Another of the thorny issues which is set to continue to irk Jordaan’s leadership is creating better relations with the Premier Soccer League.

The PSL is headed by Irvin Khoza who is not known for cordial relations with Jordaan even though both men worked together to bring the World Cup to the country three years ago.

But Jordaan said on his victory as Safa president that he had no problem dealing with Khoza or anyone else in the country.

“We have the joint-liaison committee which always handles matters for the two organisations,” he said.

While Jordaan is hoping his organisation will turn the corner and see football in this country go to the next level, one of the fundamental cracks he hopes to cover for Safa is its fi nancial affairs.

“By end of our term we will be a R1-billion organisation,” he said confidently.

And if he is to achieve his objectives, Jordaan would probably feel his four-year term in office was more like a four-term stint.