What is ailing Safa? Everything, says Jordaan

SO BIG are the headaches facing whoever wins the South African Football Association’s (Safa) presidential election on Saturday that it wouldn’t be a bad idea if the winner booked an appointment with his doctor for a full medical before taking office.

It will not be a walk in the park for the two candidates — Danny Jordaan and Mandla ‘‘Shoes” Mazibuko.

In fact, the job certainly looks like a gig from hell from where I am sitting.

Think about it: Bafana Bafana can no longer qualify for major tournaments, and there are times when our ailing national team plays with the coordination of a goat on stilettos.

And, as has now become the norm, the Bafana players will be dedicated couch potatoes during the 2014 Soccer World Cup like the rest of us, and the closest they will get to the global showpiece will be through their television remote controls.

The junior national teams are in worse shape, and so sporadic are their matches that their coaches would be well advised to take up hobbies to beat the boredom.

Hell, the SA under-23 side has not kicked a ball in anger in many moons, and you have to wonder just what in the blazes does coach Ephraim ‘‘Shakes” Mashaba do to while away the time during a normal working day?

Things are so bad that only the most reckless gambler would bet that Bafana can qualify for the 2015 African Nations Cup and the 2018 Soccer World Cup.

The same goes for the under23 side’s chances of qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games. It’s that bad, folks. And then there is the small matter of Safa itself. The winner faces the unenviable task of uniting an organisation that is divided right down the middle.

The scars are there for all to see, and you have to wonder if all parties are willing to move on without incident after the new man is confirmed at a press conference to be held at Helderfontein Estate, Fourways.

Elections have a nasty tendency to divide, and outgoing Safa president Kirsten Nematandani conceded to Business Day last month that these are turbulent times at Nasrec.

Indeed, the problems run deep and the new president has his work cut out for him.

As if that is not enough, the Safa image has taken a battering over the past few weeks and the new man has to repair vast damage caused by months of negative publicity to the country’s most popular sport.

Very few stories reported about Safa since the beginning of the year have been positive; They’ve been a relentless rollercoaster of negativity.

In fact, Safa CEO Dennis Mumble said a few months ago the negativity has made it tough for Safa to attract new sponsors, and existing partners are uneasy.

‘‘Our existing sponsors are very jittery because they must continue to be associated with an association that has such a negative image in the public domain,” he said at the time.

The new president has a tough task trying to convince corporate SA to return to invest in the sport after such a tumultuous period.

There will be very little glamour associated with this job, and the winner has to dig deep and prepare for long hours, sleepless nights and stress — and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Both men have said in the past few days they understand the enormous challenges facing the ailing mother body.

Both men conceded that Safa is in dire straits, and only a radical change can prevent the sport from plunging into the abyss.

‘‘We have become a laughing stock,” Mazibuko said at the weekend, in trying explain the current predicament facing Safa.

And when asked by Business Day to explain what is wrong with Safa, a frank Jordaan said: ‘‘Everything.”

Enough said. May the best man win.