Sunday Tribune

Danny dodges race card to win by landslide

MATSHELANE MAMABOLO

CHANGE! What change? South African football is alright as it is. And it will be for the next four years.

At least that was the message from most delegates at the elective congress of the South African Football Association (Safa) at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg yesterday.

In re-electing Danny Jordaan to the presidency of the association for a third term running, 186 members proclaimed that they are content with the status quo of the local game, and are happy with the direction it is going.

A mere 35 felt otherwise, with 27 voting for Ria Ledwaba and eight casting their ballot in Solly Mohlabeng’s favour as Jordaan retained the position he has held since 2013.

The 70-year-old from Gqeberha had generally held his peace amid heavy campaigning by the main contender, Ledwaba, who was on a ‘change’ ticket that appeared to appeal to the larger population.

Even at the congress yesterday, numerous Ledwaba fans carried placards that read ‘Ria for President’, while some of the crowd even called for the elections to be stopped.

Among them was former Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba, who addressed the crowd.

“Danny Jordaan is very Afrikaans, and he does not like black people. I’m here to tell him, ‘Danny Jordaan, weg met jou’ (Danny Jordaan, away with you),” Mashaba said to loud applause and chants of Shaaakes, Shaaakes!

A few hours later though, Mashaba and the Ledwaba crowd were out freezing in the Joburg cold while the applause rang out loud for Jordaan inside the Convention Centre.

The man generally credited with being instrumental in bringing Africa its first and only Fifa World Cup that South Africa hosted in 2010, will have to work his socks off, however, to prove that the delegates were right in re-electing him. The demise of Bafana as a continental footballing superpower has been one of the major failings under his watch, although he would no doubt beg to differ.

Yet the reality is that Jordaan will do well to ensure that the country’s senior national team gets back to winning ways and participate at major events such as the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Ledwaba’s defeat could well have dealt a death blow to her long career as a football administrator.

While she had seemingly gathered great support, Ledwaba’s backers were generally non-football people or former players who did not have votes.

And despite her assertion during her manifesto reveal conference that “we have overwhelming support and that’s why there’s panic (inside the Jordaan camp)”, Ledwaba could only muster 27 votes.

But she was not disappointed by the defeat.

“I am not disappointed at all. I fought a great fight and I still believe South African football needs change. You are still going to hear from me until Dr Jordaan has left. I won’t stop.”

Jordaan was delighted as he gave a summary of where the game is at and what the future holds.

“We have given you our Vision 2026 and I must tell you that I won’t be there because this is going to be my last term,” he said, rattling numbers of how under his watch Safa has ensured that women’s involvement at all levels of the game has been improved.

“We want a fully professional league for women by 2026, where women don’t have to work a second or third job to be able to sustain themselves. We want to have one million players in the game, with teams having junior teams and girls’ schools soccer being strengthened.”

SPORT

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2022-06-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-06-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://sundaytribune.pressreader.com/article/281805697612545

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