Pressure mounts on Safa president Danny Jordaan to step down

Civil society group Not In My Name International has urged South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan to step down pending the resolution of criminal charges against him.

According to reports, Jordaan will appear at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday to face charges of fraud and theft.

It is alleged Jordaan misused R1.3 million in association funds for personal gain.

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Jordaan is accused of unauthorised spending, including hiring the PR firm Grit Communications to manage his reputation. He is accused of employing a communications company to improve his image after former ANC MP Jennifer Ferguson alleged he had raped her in 2017.

Speaking to SAFM, Not In My Name International co-founder and Secretary General, Themba Masango, said Jordaan needs to step down while clearing his name in court.

“We’re glad that this issue is finally going to court and the court of law will ventilate this issue. While this is happening, we’re urging the president of Safa, Mr Jordaan, to step down until those charges against him are over,” said Masango.

“We’re also calling on the minister, Mr. Gayton MacKenzie, to help Mr. Jordaan realise that South Africa needs clean governance of Safa. We encourage him [Danny Jordaan] to step down until this issue has been dealt with.”

Masango added that it was very important for Jordaan to step down in order to preserve the image of Safa.

“It goes without saying how important it is [for Dany Jordaan to step down]. You want to make sure that the image of Safa remains clean and proper. We can’t PR ourselves out of every situation and allegation that comes up against us.

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“We know that there have been growing calls from day one for him to make sure that… if he claims to care about football in this country and the administration of football in this country then he must make sure that he gets out of the way and clears his name. And that can only be done in the court of law. Once that is sorted, he’s free to come back, but if the court finds him otherwise then he must stay away permanently,” concluded Masango.  

Jordaan will reportedly be in court alongside Safa CFO Gronie Hluyo and Trevor Neethling, the director of the agency that the Safa president allegedly contracted unlawfully.