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The South African Football Association's (SAFA) nine provincial chairpersons and NEC members have confirmed their support for SAFA president Danny Jordaan amid accusations made former chief executive, Dennis Mumble.
Mumble had previously accused Jordaan in a five-page document to SAFA's national executive council (NEC) last week, suggesting that Jordaan ran the organisation like an "executive president" who would "violate almost every principle of good governance".
The nine officials - Jack Maluleke (Limpopo), Gladwyn White (NEC member Northern Cape), Litheko Marago (Mpumalanga), Kwenza Ngwenya (KZN), David Moloantoa (North West), Mzimkhulu Fina (Eastern Cape), Letima Mogorosi (Free State), Gerald Don (Western Cape) and Gauteng vice-chairperson Pius Nqandela - all questioned Mumble's report.
The nine labelled it as "hogwash" and "full of contradictions" and that it should be dismissed by SAFA's highest decision-making body, the NEC.
A SAFA statement read that despite the report's intentions of dividing the association, SAFA was firmly united and fully behind Jordaan's astute leadership.
"If the intention was to sow seeds of division, it has actually galvanised and united the SAFA membership more than before," said White.
Ngwenya said SAFA's membership was derived from the LFAs, SAFA affiliates, SAFA regions and SAFA provincial structures, not media platforms.
"Those who run to the media, with their known sponsors, will always fail and history has proven that," Ngwenya added.
Northern Cape NEC member White said that while he was tempted to dismiss and not even comment on Mumble's report, Mumble was the one individual who had failed to give the association an exit report and who during his tenure had always provided glowing reports for SAFA and its leadership.
"So only gullible people will believe what he wrote. In other words, is he telling us that he misled us during all these years when he gave the association and its leadership glowing reports," said White, before adding that Mumble was a bitter man.
"He and his known handlers will fail again, watch this space."
"Danny Jordaan has our unqualified support, this is one great leader who has suffered malicious and unjust attacks but football structures know his celebrated abilities. Mumble and his people thought they were unleashing a nuclear bomb but this is laughable, to say the least. They will be disappointed again."
White said the SAFA NEC will meet in the coming days and firmly deal with all these matters once and for all.
"We remain steadfast and not bothered by these reports of a few former employees who are bitter and disillusioned. This is an orchestrated campaign that is bound to fail. A lot of financial resources has been poured into this campaign but a united SAFA will defeat it," added White.
KZN's Ngwenya said the biggest province was fully behind Jordaan and his shrewd leadership.
"As chair of the province, I have spoken to all of my regions and they are united more than ever behind Danny Jordaan.
"Mumble is a bitter man but we know the third force bankrolling him and I can tell you this will be another failed project. We would like to send a strong warning that despite the media noise from known publications, the power is with the members not hired guns," Ngwenya said.
Gerald Don (Western Cape chair) said for Mumble to come up with this document, two years after he left the organisation, was nonsensical.
Don said the SAFA leadership was aware the former CEO was not working alone, but that the membership was resolute in supporting its leadership.
He repeated that Mumble's jumbled report had made SAFA only strengthen its ranks more than ever.
"He did a terrible job and his handlers must be very disappointed. In any case, football is not run by the media, but by its membership," Don said.
- Compiled by Baden Gillion
