If the South African Football Association was a soccer team, it would be facing relegation, but new CEO Danny Jordaan is hoping to make some changes
SOCCER:Julian Drew
AFTER the revelations of the Pickard Commission of Inquiry and the subsequent removal of South African Football Association (Safa) president Stix Morewa, public confidence in the administration of soccer in South Africa is at an all-time low. Even the four-day soccer indaba – brought about as a direct result of the inquiry – which mapped out a new future for the sport, drew a lukewarm response in the media.
One of the key personalities who will determine the extent of Safa’s success in cleaning up its tarnished image and establishing a more solid foundation for the sport is new CEO Danny Jordaan.
Although many people thought the position would go to a high-flyer in the business world, Jordaan brings an impressive curriculum vitae to the table and, most importantly, he has a wealth of experience in the field of football administration. An ANC MP from Port Elizabeth, Jordaan was a provincial footballer and cricketer who played for PE United during the 1970s in the Federation Professional League – the then nominally professional wing of non- racial football.
In the 1980s he played a prominent role in the Soccer Federation as deputy president and was one of the driving forces in the unity process leading to the formation of Safa from the four racially divided soccer bodies.
He has been a Safa vice president since 1991 and is a member of the National Sports Council’s executive as well as a director of the Cape Town 2004 Olympic Bid Company. On Monday he tendered his resignation as an MP.
Besides his extensive contacts and experience in international sport one factor that could have swayed the decision Jordaan’s way was his successful negotiations with the football associations of England, Holland, France and Brazil while the position was under review.
Jordaan was instrumental in securing Holland to fill the gap left by Nigeria’s withdrawal from the Nelson Mandela Inauguration Challenge and also in signing contracts for international games with the other three countries. “I think during this period many of the executive members started to consider me as a serious contender and I’m happy that they eventually decided to appoint me,” says Jordaan.
The “From walls to bridges” paper Jordaan delivered at the soccer indaba also showed that he had a concrete vision for the transformation of football in South Africa and most of its proposals were adopted by Safa.
“I think we accept that you cannot just declare that people must now have confidence in Safa or football. It will only come through having an open, transparent and professionally run administration,” says Jordaan.
“The indaba was the first step in the reconstruction of South African soccer and I think as we begin to appoint respected, credible, quality people to positions of authority and responsibility and follow that up with clearly defined plans and a programme of implementation then we will begin to generate confidence.
“Our first priority is to appoint a director of finance before the end of May. That person will be a financial expert and he will provide regular report backs to both the executive and the media.
“There will no longer be any ad hoc decision-making that creates loopholes for financial problems. We will insist on work plans whose implementation will be underpinned by a budgetary provision.
“We are undertaking a full audit of our financial situation to determine Safa’s current position because we are going to overhaul our systems of financial management and control. I’m quite convinced that with a director of finance and strict compliance with both the work plans and the budgets we will be able to implement the necessary checks and balances.”
These kinds of measures, once implemented, should reassure current and potential sponsors that their money will be properly accounted for and will assist in Safa’s campaign to increase its revenue base in order to fund the changes which will usher in a bigger and more professional administration covering all aspects of the sport.
Jordaan believes Safa has demonstrated its willingness to change and quashed perceptions that the current executive is mainly concerned with retaining its grip on power. “I think many people were sceptical but the unanimous decision to restructure the executive, which inevitably means that some members will not be re-elected, and to do away with the position of treasurer, indicates that people are not interested in power but are genuinely committed to the transformation of football for the benefit of the entire football community.”
Jordaan and Safa have clear strategies to broaden the base of the game and improve technical standards while also addressing some of the more deep-rooted problems like the bribery of referees, crowd violence and the standard and safety of stadiums.
But while at least for now there is a clear sense of direction and very specific goals to achieve, Jordaan is under no illusions that he has all the answers and he most definitely sees his tenure in finite terms. “If I can last that long I only see myself serving a five-year term. I think that is sufficient to develop and implement a vision for South African football. Beyond that there must be new ideas and new people to take the process forward.”
Should Jordaan see out his term, besides expanding Safa’s membership base from its present 1,4-million to 5-million, he has several key goals that he would like to achieve during the next five years.
“I would like to see us compete in two World Cups and win the right to host the 2006 World Cup. To have one of our under-17 or under-20 teams in the finals of the world youth championships (already realised) and to have our under-23 team participate in the Olympic Games. To do that requires us to create an integrated and comprehensive development programme driven by committed and visionary technical people. We will be appointing a technical director and qualified technical staff on a full-time basis and although it is a massive challenge we face it is definitely achievable.”
ENDS