Safa bosses at war after aborted committee meeting

SA Football Association (Safa) bosses are at war after a national executive committee meeting was aborted on Friday.

Now another meeting has been scheduled for Thursday and sparks are expected to fly.

Friday’s meeting was scheduled after members signed a petition to demand a platform to discuss:
» The report arising from the Fifa match-fixing report by Safa’s emergency committee;
» The impact of the emergency committee’s decisions on Safa administration; and
» The suspension of Safa president Kirsten Nematandani.

However, the gathering could not go on after acting president Mwelo Nonkonyana and other emergency committee members failed to turn up.

City Press has learnt that Minister of Sport and Recreation Fikile Mbalula has demanded a meeting with the Safa leadership on Friday (January 4) to be briefed on the Fifa report on match-fixing prior to the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

An executive member, who asked to remain anonymous, said he could not attend Friday’s aborted meeting as it was not called by the president or the chief executive, as per the constitution of the association.

“Who called the meeting? I don’t have time to waste by attending kangaroo meetings. We all know what is going on there. If you can, just get a copy of the minutes of the emergency committee and see who recommended that the president must be suspended and you will know who is behind all this,” said the member, without elaborating further.

But another member, who was at Safa House on Friday, said he was embarrassed by the latest developments at the association.

He said members spent their money to attend the meeting as they wanted answers from the emergency committee.

He said he could not even face members who wanted answers from him.

“I thought I was getting into football to make a change, but at the rate things are going, it’s impossible.

“This is clearly power playing itself out and we cannot go on like this,” said the member, who did not want to be identified.

He said the NEC wanted to be briefed by the emergency committee on the decision to suspend Nematandani.
He was suspended, along with Barney Kujane, Lindile “Ace” Kika, Dennis Mumble and Adeel Carelse, who were also named in the Fifa report that found irregularities in Bafana Bafana’s 2010 pre-World Cup international friendly matches against Thailand, Bulgaria, Colombia and Guatemala.

“As far as we are concerned, Kirsten (Nematandani) is still the president because the decision to suspend him has not been ratified by us. The emergency committee cannot take decisions on our behalf, but can only recommend. Who are they to decide on our behalf?” he asked.

He insisted the truth would come out at Friday’s meeting with Mbalula.