Rand Central Local Football Association placed under administration
Attempts by the media to attend the meeting were met with hostility by SAFA Johannesburg CEO Colin Jones, as was a follow-up phone call to reach him for comment.
Grassroots football is always promoted as the lifeblood of the South African game. Those entrusted with governing the junior tiers of regional football are the ones who feed the conveyor belt of talent to the professional leagues and ultimately the national team.
Rand Central Local Football Association (RCLFA) is the governing body that oversees leagues and clubs across the city, including community establishments such as Florida Albion Football Club and Panorama Football Club. On 10 October, South African Football Association (SAFA) Johannesburg branch chaired an ethics committee meeting at Johannesburg Stadium to discuss allegations of corruption within RCLFA.
Attempts by the media to attend the meeting were met with hostility by SAFA Johannesburg CEO Colin Jones, as was a follow-up phone call to reach him for comment. Fortunately, a source from a club that did attend the meeting was willing to shine a light on the alleged parasitic activities of the accused RCLFA committee members. “We have been dealing with this since November last year. We won a huge battle on Saturday,” claimed the source.
The allegations against some of the highest-ranking, longest-standing members of RCLFA range from maladministration, misappropriation of funds, and governance that breaks the governing body’s constitution. The sums of money involved are described as ‘huge’ as bank statements provided at the meeting reveal a ‘dysfunctional’ and ‘incompetent’ administration.
SAFA Johannesburg has scheduled a follow-up meeting for later in October and has since placed RCLFA under administration while auditors determine the extent of the alleged corruption.
