Thomas Kwenaite talks to South African Football Association (Safa) vice-president and former 2010 World Cup chief executive Danny Jordaan.
Have you had time to reflect and chart a way forward following the Confederation of African Football (CAF) congress in Sudan early this year?
The re-election of Sepp Blatter as president of Fifa has helped us tackle serious issues like football governance. We still have to come up with a mechanism for dealing with issues like match-fixing, bribery and corruption. And if CAF and Fifa can give direction in terms of leadership, we will be able to tackle these problems. I am happy that a code of ethics has been adopted by Fifa as well as Safa, giving clear directives regarding administrative governance in football.
Can you clarify your ambition regarding positions in the CAF and Fifa?
I held a meeting with [Fifa and CAF standing committee member] Kalusha Bwalya and all other people in the Southern African region. What happened is that we had eight or nine candidates contesting a single position in CAF. But I felt I had to withdraw and indicated that I would only contest a seat on the Fifa executive. Then I conveyed that message to all candidates in the region, thus making my position clear.
Eight candidates from a region consisting of 14 members indicated division.
I attended a meeting to do a postmortem on Sudan. We all agreed that the Council of South African Football Associations (Cosafa) was divided and did not have the influence to direct matters on the continent. It was not about positions, it was about the direction African football had to take. If you come from a particular region where you are not united, where you are not strong enough or cannot stand together, your impact will be minimal.
What were the lessons from Sudan?
Cosafa consists of 14 countries and if we could unite and perhaps combine with the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) or the West African Football Union (Wafu) it would give us 26 out of 53 and thus a majority vote. North Africa is made up of only five countries, yet it has two representatives on the Fifa executive. We need to consolidate in our region and work with regions like Cecafa and Wafu. In that way we could influence decisions. Southern Africa is the weakest region in terms of representation in the CAF and Fifa. Clearly the message from Khartoum is that, as Cosafa, we need to organise ourselves and speak with one voice.
What inspired the decision by South Africa and Libya to agree to swap the hosting of the 2013 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournaments?
Libya was awarded hosting rights to the 2013 and South Africa the rights to the 2017 tournament. The two countries entered into an agreement subject to ratification by CAF to swap. However, due to the fact that CAF will make a ruling on September 28, perhaps it would be fair to refrain from discussing this matter to allow the federation enough time to look at the matter objectively and come up with an informed decision that would be in the best interest of African football.
Why is it that, 54 years since its establishment, CAF remains the poorest confederation in the world?
For the first time CAF has set up a commercial committee, something that has been missing from its structures. Mohamed Raouraoua of Algeria is chairperson and I am his deputy. We will begin looking at revenue streams for the organisation. Africa loses not because it does not have players but because of the lack of financial resources to support those players. I hope we will be able to assist in these issues.
Is this the reason why Africa fails to make any meaningful impact on the global game?
It is one of two reasons. Africa goes to global events with little resources. I think fatigue also plays a major role in our failure as Africans. We play the Afcon tournament in January and then later take part in the World Cup. In-between, you find a player like Seydou Keita has played 30 additional matches for Barcelona and is expected to perform at the World Cup. It’s an impossible demand. Now that Afcon has been shifted to odd years, perhaps we might see different results at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Is that the only reason Africans bomb out early in the World Cup?
Besides the Afcon taking its toll on players, I think as Africans we are always hamstrung by organisational issues. We must be better organised. We must stop changing coaches on the eve of major tournaments. We hire a coach on a Monday and on Wednesday he hops into a plane with our squad to a Fifa tournament. That’s suicide — it must change.
Banyana have qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games. What does this achievement mean for South African women’s football?
It is a significant achievement. It shows substantial growth in women’s football. Ethiopia has an excellent team that passes the ball very well. They are a technically sound team and for South Africa to beat them shows the quality of our own team. We used to be good until we met Nigeria or Cameroon, then we would be hammered. But now the gap in standards has narrowed significantly. Our second-string team narrowly lost 2-0 to a full-strength Cameroon at the All Africa Games in Maputo. I think women’s football needs commercial support to grow.
Can qualification for the Olympic Games galvanise the country to establish a professional set-up?
We can take advantage of it. It will require hard work, though. We need female administrators. When football started, women’ss clubs were run by men, or as subsidiaries of male clubs. Even basketball and netball clubs were attached to male football teams. We need more women to come forward to run women’s football, and with sustained media coverage women’s football in this country could go far.
Are there plans to send Banyana on an intensive training camp to improve their fitness levels?
You can no longer go to the World Cup or Olympic Games without serious attention to physical matters. Football now requires a scientific approach in which an athlete’s body is thoroughly checked for body fats, muscle and all the elements regarding fitness. The Japanese women’s team won the 2011 Fifa World Cup simply because they ran everybody into the ground. It was simply impossible to beat a team that, when they lose the ball, you find yourself confronted by 10 players behind the ball. And when they attack they go forward in a wave. That was sheer guts, determination and fitness.
The SA under-23 squad will go to Cairo in November to qualify for London, and the dates do not fall in Fifa’s calendar.
I would like to believe Premier Soccer League clubs will release our best players. There may be an issue of Fifa dates, but then again there is an issue of national pride and national achievement. Yes, there are rules and regulations, but it is in both the PSL and Safa’s interest to send our best available players to fight for the honour and pride of the country.