What the Siya crew has been told…

Events that have been taking place within the corridors of the South African Football Association (SAFA) are not good for the image of the country and the association. In fact, they are giving the impression that SAFA is under siege and on the verge of collapse.

The search and seizure raid conducted by the Hawks at the SAFA headquarters investigating allegations of fraud and theft amounting to R1.3m allegedly committed by incumbent President Dr Danny Jordaan left the country in a state of shock.

The raid has caused consternation across the continent, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) expressing deep concerns and have requested a full report from SAFA.

The Siya sources informed this publication that tensions, bickering, in-fighting and back-biting that have been simmering have now surfaced within the organisation and now it seems like the chickens are coming home to roost.

The troubles inside SAFA House were laid bare for all to see when a member of the National Executive Committee issued a damning statement that was not only scathing but came short of stating that the leadership has not only abdicated its responsibilities but have completely lost control.

Former vice-president, Gladwin White, publicly claimed that SAFA: “Had abandoned its fiduciary duties of alienating wrong from right and agreeing to factual and ethical debates intended to put SAFA on an ethical pedestal.

“Instead, much of the NEC members, who are confusing themselves as serving at the behest of our President (Dr Jordaan) are voting without comprehension for immoral and unethical positions. Anyone with a contrasting and progressive view is incorrectly accused of working with the enemy,” said White.

The shenanigans at SAFA House have turned brother against brother, colleague against colleague within the association that has for many years prided itself of being the shining example of how a federation should operate within the African continent.

If anything, the harsh condemnation of the SAFA leadership by someone who used to be the blue-eyed boy of the current leadership is indicative of the deep-rooted divisions and comes at a time when the SAFA staff threatened to stage a strike demanding an increase in their wages.

It also left the impression that the SAFA hierarchy has lost the dressing room, literally speaking, and unless the leadership regains control and rein in some of their members that seem to consider themselves larger than the organisation, it is headed for a hard fall.

The latest spat emanated from a security company whose contract was terminated by CEO Lydia Monyepao. The security company was awarded a contract to offer their services, despite the fact that they were charging SAFA twice the amount paid to another security company that had been rendering their services to SAFA.

A couple of weeks ago, two former Bafana Bafana players – Aaron Mokoena and David Nyathi – were allegedly mugged and robbed at gunpoint while staying at the SAFA headquarters in Fun Valley.

This raised serious concerns about the safety and security of the SAFA staff members and players not to mention movable objects owned by SAFA unless a “reputable” security company was hired without delay.

However, Siya sources, while concerned about the emotional trauma that might have been experienced by the two stalwarts, cast doubts about the veracity of the reported break-in at Fun Valley as something that had the hallmarks of being “staged” to heighten the “lack” of security at the venue.

Amid the chaos, the SAFA CEO terminated the short-term contract of the controversial security company a week before the Hawks raided SAFA House.