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Johannesburg - Black Leopards boss David Thidiela has dared the SA Football Association (Safa) to touch him.
The executive member of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) has been summoned to appear before the football governing association’s disciplinary committee on January 20 for comments he allegedly made about match officials.
According to the charge sheet, the former PSL chief of security behaved in a “disorderly manner [and] threatened and used discriminatory words against a match official” during a National First Division (NFD) game between Leopards and Royal Eagles on December 17.
Safa claims that utterances Thidiela made on radio recently had brought the football governing body into disrepute and breached its communications policy.
It was in December, while speaking on the Metro FM sports show, 083 Sports@6 with Robert Marawa, that Thidiela said he was “sick and tired of corrupt activities” happening in the NFD.
He told Metro listeners he had written a number of letters about the matter to the association, to no avail.
Thidiela has been charged with misconduct and violation of the disciplinary code of the association.
He will have to answer for bringing the game, Safa and all stakeholders into disrepute.
Remains unrepentant
“By ignoring these rules and the spirit of the Safa statutes, you have damaged the reputation of the association and brought the game into disrepute,” the charge sheet reads in part.
“Particularly in the light of the prejudice and/or potential prejudice to the association, your conduct or omission was serious, your actions have brought the association into disrepute, and you conducted yourself in a manner which prejudiced the objectives and reputation of the association.”
Despite the imminent disciplinary action, Thidiela is not cowering and remains unrepentant.
According to an informant, he is prepared to take Safa on.
The source, who is close to Thidiela, said the Leopards boss wanted to expose corruption that was allegedly happening within the NFD, involving match officials. He would not be silenced.
But Farai Razano, Thidiela’s lawyer, was reluctant to comment, saying the case was still pending.
“It would be irresponsible of us to run to the media because we do not want to pre-empt what could happen,” a cagey Razano said.
“There is a process to follow. Let the case run its course.”
Safa’s chief executive officer, Dennis Mumble, was unavailable for comment by the time of going to print.
