Jordaan Backtracks On SAFA Presidency Term Limit

South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan has made a surprising U-turn, denying that he ever stated his current term as president would be his last. This contradicts his public declaration three years ago.

Jordaan skillfully navigated questions from agitated Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts, and Culture on Tuesday, specifically regarding whether he would seek a fourth term in SAFA’s elections next year.

After his re-election during the electoral congress at the Sandton Convention Centre on 25 June 2022, Jordaan had explicitly informed the media that his then-new term would be his final one in the SAFA office. That term is set to conclude in 2026, but Sportswire has received information indicating that Jordaan intends to run for re-election once more.

However, this current term in the SAFA office has been marred by allegations of corruption and the misuse of SAFA funds for his personal benefit, leading to his appearances in court this year.

“In any position in a democracy, you cannot give yourself a position; you cannot decide when you stay and when you go,” Jordaan stated in parliament on Tuesday. “That is the responsibility of our 52 regions; they will decide who their president should be.”

The former CEO of the 2010 FIFA World Cup local organizing committee, who has now been the SAFA president for 12 years, further added, “South African football is at the center of a huge debate regarding the elections. Elections are only next year, but it has already started, and you see many news outlets disseminating a lot of stories. You must know that there are people out there who are deliberately driving an aggressive campaign. The sad thing is, when Bafana Bafana started winning again, these people became very unhappy.”

As of now, it remains unclear who else will challenge Jordaan for the presidential election next year, as no one has publicly expressed interest.

In 2022, Jordaan secured a landslide victory against former SAFA Vice President Ria Ledwaba and SAFA Tshwane President Solly Mohlabeng. Notably, all those who sought to unseat Jordaan in that election have since been removed from SAFA.