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SAFA bemoans lack of info

Johannesburg - Individuals key to a probe into Bafana Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund did not make themselves available for hearings after being invited, a SAFA committee said on Thursday.

Igesund was on Thursday cleared on allegations that he tried to influence players to ask for excessive monetary bonuses during the African Nations Championship tournament in January.

The findings of a task team, headed by senior lawyer Norman Arendse, further cleared Igesund on allegations of his team selections being influenced by player agents, who were believed to have had a say in who he selected for the national team.

"The two allegations against the head coach had no substance whatsoever," Arendse read from a statement in Johannesburg on Thursday.

The emergency committee, set up by the national executive committee (NEC) of the South African Football Association, thanked Igesund's team and technical staff for appearing before the panel.

Arendse pointed out that the NEC had no power to force individuals to come forward.

Igesund has denied the claims from the outset and last week said he felt confident of being cleared of any wrongdoing.

"On the basis of evidence and information received, the task team found that there is no basis for the allegation that player agents have undue influence over the selection of players for matches," said Arendse.

The task team recommended that "player agents must not be allowed in the (national) team's hotel, prior to and during matches".

"When the team goes into the team hotel, the security has the responsibility to make sure that there are no players' agents in that hotel," SAFA president Danny Jordaan has said.

"They cannot be booked into the same hotel... it must not happen."

Another recommendation was that clear policies be established "with regard to selection, contracts, bonuses, medical reports, financial and all other matters affecting players".

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