Soccer
SAFA to show united front
2009-10-06 17:01
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Kirsten Nematandani (File)
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Kempton Park - The SA Football Association (SAFA) intends showing a united front to world soccer body Fifa in Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday.
New Safa president Kirsten Nematandani will lead a delegation including vice presidents Irvin Khoza and Danny Jordaan to meet FIFA president Seth Blatter, it emerged on Tuesday.
This was after the first meeting of the new SAFA national executive committee under newly-elected Nematandani in Kempton Park.
Nematandani was elected unopposed after Jordaan and Khoza withdrew as candidates at a hostile annual general meeting last Saturday.
Said Nematandani: "It is significant that both the two men who are driving our 2010 World Cup preparations (Jordaan and Khoza) are part of the SAFA delegation to meet president Blatter where we will assure him that South Africa will produce the best World Cup ever next June.
"We will confirm to FIFA our commitment to delivering a successful event which is our priority."
Also included in the delegation are the other two SAFA vice presidents, Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana and Mandla "Shoes" Mazibuko.
Nematandani said the delegation would show FIFA and Blatter that there will be no disruption of the local organising committee (LOC) delivering the World Cup next June.
There were fears that Khoza, who is the 2010 LOC chairman, chairman of the powerful Premier Soccer League (PSL) and a vice president of SAFA, would contest the legitimacy of the SAFA elections after he withdrew from the race.
SAFA CEO Raymond Hack said they had not received an objection from the PSL over the legitimacy of the elections.
"We have received a letter from the PSL requesting a transcript of the annual meeting and elections which we delivered to them last Friday. But to date there has been no complaints or protests from the PSL," Hack said.
Nematandani, Nonkonyana and Mazibuko will also meet the president of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou of Cameroon, in the Egyptian capital Cairo on October 15.
Khoza did not attend the SAFA meeting on Tuesday.
He sent his apologies as he is on PSL business in the United Kingdom.
The PSL was represented by Nastasia Tsichlas.