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Safa must give Sedibe documents

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Leslie Sedibe (Gallo Images)
Leslie Sedibe (Gallo Images)

Johannesburg - This week’s court order against the SA Football Association (Safa) may shed more light on who was involved in the 2010 Bafana Bafana match-fixing scandal.

Former Safa chief executive Leslie Sedibe won the first round in the ongoing case with his former employers.

The South Gauteng High Court compelled Safa to make the information that Sedibe has requested available to him within 10 days.

Safa was also ordered to pay the full costs of the court hearing.

“The defendant is directed to, within 10 days of this order, discover the documents ... or to state on oath that such documents are not in its possession, in which event to state their whereabouts if known to it,” read the court order.

Some of the information requested is on Sedibe’s laptop, which was allegedly confiscated from him, and includes minutes of meetings, memorandums, tapes, email exchanges and other correspondence.

If Sedibe succeeds in getting all the documents, he could open a can of worms and give insight into who was involved in match-fixing.

Sedibe had little to say this week: “Why did Safa lawyers write me a letter of demand instructing me to destroy the little information I had if the association had nothing to hide?”

He is demanding this information to prove his innocence after he was implicated in a match-fixing scandal involving Bafana Bafana’s friendly matches before the 2010 Soccer World Cup, when he was the chief executive officer of the association.

Safa CEO Dennis Mumble said Sedibe had, in his possession, some of the information since he did not hand it over to the organisation when he left.

“The bottom line is that we did not suspend Sedibe. Fifa did and he must direct his questions and actions to Fifa. We are not a proxy for Fifa in these matters.”

Fifa slapped Sedibe with a five-year ban, which he claimed was unfair. He went on to institute a $5 million (R60.4 million) lawsuit for defamation.

Sedibe’s lawyer, David Swartz of Phillip Silver Swartz Inc, told City Press that they were happy with the order and were looking forward to concluding the case.

Swartz said he hoped the order was the beginning of the end to the saga.

“We need this information because it forms part of our evidence. We believe the information will exonerate our client, who has always maintained his innocence,” said
Swartz.

He warned Safa that the legal team would fight until justice was served.

“It might take a long time for them to respond, but we will see them in court. They can do what they want and oppose it, but we will keep on going. We want our day in court,” Swartz said.

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