Safa congress paves way for Jordaan to remain until 2026

Safa's 30th ordinary congress, where the organisation's constitution was amended in Sandton at the weekend, looks to have paved the way for president Danny Jordaan to stay in office until 2026.

The congress upheld the rule barring Premier Soccer League members from contesting Safa positions, dashing Chippa United owner Siviwe Mpengesi's ambition to challenge Jordaan in the upcoming elective congress in August.

Safa Tshwane president Ngoako Mohlabeng, who had always made it clear he wanted to challenge for the presidency, was thrown out of the congress and got suspended immediately after he spoke from the floor before the meeting started on Saturday. 

Mpengesi's ineligibility and Mohlabeng's suspension mean Jordaan is likely to be re-elected unopposed for a third term. Jordaan, 70, first took charge of Safa when he succeeded Kirsten Nematandani in September 2013, defeating Shoes Mazibuko. In  the last elections  two years ago, the Safa president ran unopposed after Ace Ngcobo decided to pull out of contention at the eleventh hour.

While our attempts to reach Mpengesi drew a blank, Mohlabeng told Sowetan on Sunday that he was not taking Safa's decision to suspend him lying down, aiming to go to CAF to challenge it.

“I’m going to challenge it. I have been in contact with my lawyers. Remember, we were at item number two, which was the declaration of the congress and I raised my hand and all I wanted to say was how [do] you declare the congress on top of people whom you have not approved as delegates. I am going the CAF route and the legal route,” Mohlabeng said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Safa CEO Tebogo Motlanthe disclosed the association was in a good financial space. “I am happy to report that for the financial years of 2020 and this current one we are reporting a surplus. For 2020, we are reporting R54m, which we have already communicated, and for this year we are reporting R1m, which is good for the association,” said Motlanthe.