Safa announces it will embark on major changes
Danny Jordaan, president of the South African Football Association (Safa), has announced that after a three-day lekgotla of NEC members, Safa is to embark on a major overhaul.
“We have thrown away the drawing board and are starting on a
new slate,” said Jordaan. “We have to strengthen development at all levels in order to produce players capable of beating the best in the world.”
He said the lekgotla had acknowledged that women’s football has not been receiving the attention it deserved. “We will work harder to identify and develop promising young women to help them achieve their full potential,” he said.
Jordaan said the lekgotla had decided on several steps to ensure the success of the programme. A top Safa team will engage with the minister of sport, universities and school-sports-governing bodies to decide on practical steps to strengthen youth teams. “We intend to place considerable emphasis on school sport and junior leagues,” he said.
The first of the new interprovincial tournaments will take place from
March 28 to 31 in Moruleng in the North West. This will be for u/17 boys.
The u/19 boys tournament will take place in Bloemfontein between
April 27 and May 2 (u/19 boys), u/19 women will take place from August 4 to 9 in Modimolle, Limpopo.
Safa intends to create football academies in all nine provinces. “We are able to do this with the cooperation of government at all levels,” said Jordaan. “The first of these academies is already established in KwaZulu-Natal.”
Jordaan said, “I am aware there is speculation surrounding Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund. “I read in the news that this coach or that coach is coming to take over from Gordon. Well, I want to say that, at the moment, there is no vacancy.”
Dennis Mumble, Safa’s chief executive, who has been charged with implementing the changes said that it will be a costly exercise. “We will fund this by approaching our sponsors, working with government at all levels, by seeking assistance from Fifa and Caf and the National Lotteries Board.
The future of South African football is riding on this if we are to achieve our objective of consistently being among the top-three teams in Africa and the top 20 in the world.”
