Incumbent Dr Danny Jordaan has secured another term as president of the South African Football Association (SAFA) following a decisive elective congress in Midrand.
As initially reported by Journal News Network (JNN), Jordaan defeated his challenger Sandile Zungu by a huge margin of 157 votes to 82.
The election process was marred by intense friction and administrative delays during the adoption of credentials.
Four regional bodies were disqualified prior to voting alongside associate organisations including the South African Masters and Legends Association and the South African Football Coaching Association.
Despite acknowledging defeat, Zungu still put out claims that there were flawed administrative procedures surrounding the gathering, distinctively pointing to irregularities in how delegate access was managed.
"There is no question about it that when it came to the adoption of credentials for the Congress, in other words, who was rightfully supposed to be in that Congress room... It was a picture imperfect.
How it was managed, it left much to be desired. Will I do anything about it? Absolutely nothing, because I believe the outcome ultimately would not have been altered by the imperfection of the of the credentials.”
Important to note that the disqualified regions would have only contributed a cumulative total of only 16 votes had they been allowed to vote. That tally would have still landed Zungu below 100 votes when added to the 82 votes he secured - thus assuring that Jordaan would have still won by a landslide regardless.
The political backing of the Football Transformation Forum (FTF) proved pivotal in consolidating Jordaan's position across the voting districts. The lobby group maintained solid delegate support despite pre-election tension and public demonstrations by opposition factions.
Zungu formally accepted the final outcome, choosing not to pursue legal challenges or administrative appeals against the association.
“You know, if you are involved in sports, you always know that there’s two possible outcomes. There’s gonna be a winner and a loser,” said Zungu.
“You obviously hope that you are the winner. But when you end up being a loser, don't cry like you are not a sportsman,” he asserted.
Moving forward, Zungu indicated he will focus on his business interests and continue supporting youth development through his premiership club, AmaZulu.
Meanwhile, the incoming administration faces immediate pressure to address SAFA’s financial challenges, with liabilities currently exceeding total assets.
In his post-election press conference, Jordaan used the platform to defend his record as president.
“You can see the progress we have made generally in Africa and the progress South Africa has made.From the number of coaches we have overseas; the number of players we have overseas; our participation in various FIFA competitions; qualification for various FIFA World Cups (different age groups),” said Jordaan as he listed several achievements during all his successive tenures.”
Jordaan also gave a general blueprint of the association's plans leading up to 2030.
