Same people in different countries

Omulo Okoth

Lucky Dube’s rendition of the hit song ‘Different Colours, One People’ can as well be recreated for African football administrators.

Although we live in different countries with different stages, the actors are more or less people of similar attitude and behaviour.

I have watched the battle for the South African Football Association (Safa) with trepidation, and dazed by its uncanny similarities with our own situation.

The big two rivals were Irvin Khoza, the head of the Premier Soccer League (PSL), which runs the lucrative South African Premier League, as well as chairman of the 2010 World Cup Local Organising Committee’s (LOC).

By virtue of his position in PSL, he is also the vice-chairman of Safa. The other candidate was Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the 2010 World Cup LOC. Obviously, these positions made their ambitions to head Safa completely untenable.

Fifa intervened

Indeed, world ruling body, Fifa, had strongly but diplomatically intervened, as they are wont to, asking Safa to postpone its elections until after next year’s World Cup, because the two contestants had the huge task of delivering a successful World Cup, being held in Africa for the first time. But we are in Africa.

The two gentlemen, who are the most influential football administrators in this country, would not take it so they pressed on with their vicious campaigns.

On the election day (last weekend), a dispute emerged over the eligibility of one of the provinces. A vote was taken and the province, which was supporting Jordaan, was allowed to participate in the poll.

Smelt Victory

The Jordaan wing smelt victory, at which point the World Cup CEO withdrew from the race. Sensing defeat, Khoza also withdrew from the race.

A chairman of the referees’ committee, Kirsten Nematandani, but who was allied to Jordaan, and was apparently planted as the ‘compromise’ candidate, swept through, much to the chagrin of the Khoza group.

The Khoza group promised mother-of-all legal battles, although all the voices of influence have supported Nemantandani and urged the losing camp to concentrate on World Cup preparations.

Fifa, as expected, was the first to support Namatandani. The influential Cosatu (umbrella trade union body), Jomo Sono, who owns and coaches PSL side Jomo Cosmos, Kaizer Motaung of the Amakhozi (Kaizer Chiefs), supported the new Safa boss.

But as expected, the Khoza-led PSL called a meeting at which they issued a statement disparaging the Safa elections, questioning their credibility. PSL wrote to Safa demanding transcripts of the meeting, a sign of an imminent legal battle.

Safa has hit back, telling off PSL, citing a very familiar line: "Safa runs football in this country, not PSL."

Safa Vice President, Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana, in a thinly veiled threat, warned that they could recall Khoza if he did not accept the election results. He charged that PSL should be charged with bringing South African football to disrepute.

Looked at in perspective, I am convinced that African football administrators are the same people, but in different countries.

They want as much power as they can get, by hook or crook. And when they are elected to these positions, they do everything possible to perpetuate themselves.

The PSL and Safa wars are not dissimilar to our own Football Kenya and Kenyan Premier League wars. Although the reasons for their rivalries are different, the bigger picture is influence, power and controlling huge amounts of money from sponsors and Fifa.

The wars between Safa and PSL are a distraction from World Cup preparations as well as Bafana Bafana’s programmes.

The Boys, who suffered six defeats in a row before beating minnows Madagascar 1-0 in Kimberley, face Norway and Iceland on October 10 and October 13, in matches that could decide the fate of Brazilian coach Joel Santana. South Africans are not happy with the Sh17 million-a-month Santana.

—The writer is The Standard Sports Editor

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