SEDIBENG.- Those who voted Danny Jordaan into power as SAFA President are to be blamed for the kind of situation that South African football finds itself in.

What happened on Sunday at Tsakane Stadium was an embarrassment for our football.

This happened a few days before Banyana Banyana jetted out to Australia/New Zealand for FIFA Women’s World Cup nogal. The game was supposed to be a send-off celebration but it turned into chaos when Banyana Banyana players refused to play the international friendly match against Botswana. The reason for boycotting this send-off celebration match was due to their dissatisfaction with what SAFA offered them for bonuses ahead of the World Cup. This is the only national team that happens to hoist the country flag high in every tournament they play.

In fact, their dissatisfaction is justified taking into consideration that they are the only national team that seems to be consistent in terms of bringing success to our football. TOUCHLINE doesn’t condemn what happened on Sunday, but I feel very strongly that SAFA could have prevented this from happening.

However, SAFA’s “take or leave it” like a Pawnshop owner’s attitude was the reason the situation ended in that way with the players boycotting the game. To make it worse, the team that was organized to replace the real Banyana was hammered 5-0 by Botswana in what was supposed to be a send-off game.

The arrogant SAFA President anticipated the situation long before the kick-off hence he ordered Banyana Banyana Coach Desiree Ellis to select the makeshift national team to honour the game against Botswana.

The treatment Banyana Banyana receives from SAFA is stinking, to say the least. They treat Banyana Banyana players like their stepchildren.  This is not a secret, Danny Jordaan runs SAFA like his own private company. Some of the people SAFA appointed in the technical departments, especially for our junior national teams are being rewarded for their loyalty to him.

He (Danny Jordaan) thinks he is ‘bigger’ than our football,  and an example is how he runs our football. Many people are blind to see this especially those who are loyal to him. Our football has been suffering for too long now and our silence is too loud, to say the least.

TOUCHLINE can only hope what transpired on Sunday is not going to affect Banyana Banyana’s performance in the field of play when FIFA Women’s World Cup starts on 20 July.  TOUCHLINE still maintains SAFA could have dealt with this situation better than this.

This is my opinion, rather than embarrassing ourselves in front of other nations ahead of the World Cup. It is high time SAFA shows some respect to Banyana Banyana, the same they show it to the underperforming Bafana Bafana.

Bafana gets red carpet treatment for nothing just because they are the men’s national team.