HAPPY TIMES. New Safa president Danny Jordan, left, is congratulated by former president Kirsten Nematandani during the 2013 Safa Annual Congress on Saturday. Picture: Backpagepix.
Jordaan ascended to local football’s highest post on Saturday at Safa’s elective conference.
“We need to start from scratch,” he said. “Our development needs restructuring.”
The former 2010 World Cup CEO used the United States as his example.
“Once they restructured their soccer development we saw them qualify for the World Cup and other major soccer competitions and I think that’s what we need to do,” he said. It was a landslide victory for the 62-year-old Port Elizabeth-born administrator as he garnered 162 votes to his rival Mandla Mazibuko’s 88.
Outgoing president Kirsten Nematandani did not run for the elections after he was not nominated for a second term, having been at the helm since 2009.
Jordaan’s victory is seen as a challenge to local football as it has always been alleged that his relations with PSL chairman Irvin Khoza are sombre. His win on Saturday is seen as something which will create difficulties in relations between Safa and the PSL.
But Jordaan said this is not the case as he has a good working relationship with Khoza.
“The PSL people are not strangers,” he said. “I travelled with Kaizer Motaung in 1991 to discuss the creation of Safa, I have worked with Irvin Khoza for 20 years. No one in the country has worked with both men longer than me.”
The other Achilles Heel which may be thorny for Jordaan as he takes over is to unite what seems like a divided Safa.
Tensions have been high at Nasrec and even ahead of the elections, factions were the order of the day at Safa House.
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