A Plea To President Jordaan: It’s Time To Step Down

SAFA President Danny Jordaan, you have undoubtedly made significant contributions to South African football. However, recent events, particularly your court appearance, have tarnished your legacy.

I believe it’s time for you to step down as SAFA president. Your involvement in legal proceedings is not conducive to the positive image of South African football.

I recall our conversation after the March raid incident, where I advised you to resign. While you dismissed my advice at the time, I strongly believe that resigning is the only way forward. The potential implications of the allegations against you could severely damage the reputation of South African football.

Why I’m highlighting your wonderful contribution, I’m one of the beneficiaries of you by bringing the 2010 World Cup to South Africa because I was a volunteer and I’m still proud when I look at that certificate in my files signed by you and former FIFA president Joseph Blatter.  

Again, I was the beneficiary when South Africa hosted the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations as I was a volunteer and your signature on my certificate is there along with that of late CAF president Issa Hayatou.  

Bringing the World Cup to South Africa elevated South Africa’s global standing, even though we became the first host nation not to reach FIFA World Cup knockout stages.  

That to me doesn’t matter because it was the best World Cup, especially for a country that was not long ago outside the freedom of democracy.   

I speak to many journalists outside South Africa and they still speak glowingly about the success of that World Cup.  

Blatter stuck his neck out, despite the constant threat of Plan B to see the World Cup taken away, said there is no Plan B and South Africa remains Plan A, B, C, and D.         

But step down to restore your image and I’m sure CAF president Patrice Motsepe will still keep you as his technical advisor even after you have resigned.  

Every single day, I get messages that this is what is happening at SAFA under your leadership and I feel the pain. The sad reality is, that bloated NEC of yours which is made up of 49 is not advising you correctly when things are this bad. I called them salary thieves.

When I listened to the audio after you were granted bail on Wednesday, someone said- ‘We were shocked that you are being arrested’.  

I mean, really. We are a laughing stock and how long will this go on? Resign to salvage South Africa’s reputation. What is also painful, you are undermining Bafana Bafana’s success and coach Hugo Broos’ work. That is because we are not talking about it but about you.

Bafana Bafana won the AFCON bronze medal earlier this year for the first time in 24 years, and the country was united with excitement. But you are undermining that success along with the fact that Bafana Bafana qualified for the next AFCON without kicking the ball on Thursday. 

More interestingly, we are reaping the rewards that this squad is made up of players plying our trade in the PSL.  

The PSL has recently increased the prize money to the league winner to R20 million, slightly better than other leagues around Africa, and this is good news for South African football that we hope will leave another lasting legacy to our game.  

The PSL has done all it could to wash off the tainted image you have brought to SAFA and that is due to the wonderful job by PSL chairman Dr. Irvin Khoza and his executives.  

But unfortunately, when you judge the member association, you don’t judge it based on the success at the club level but at the international level which is Bafana Bafana, your portfolio that you need to safeguard from being tainted.  

Worldwide, few care much about the success of the league and you can talk as far as Qatar and Saudi Arabia who have churned out big money to bring some of the best players in the world to play in their league – the fact remains, the spinoff is not felt in their national teams.  

But we are beneficiary because our league is dominated by locally-based players and that has had huge ramifications within our national team’s success.  

I hope one day you can have a meeting with Mark Alexander, SARU president, and get more guidance on what it takes to be president because you have failed dismally.  

South Africa is known because of the success of the Springbok which has won back-to-back World Cup, the only nation on the African continent to have won a senior World Cup.  

My point is, President Jordaan, as a charming man as you seem, an affable to add, we cannot continue like this. And what also makes me sad is that you want to be re-elected yet again in 2026 and this information I got from my own sources within SAFA – it can’t be Mr. Jordaan. We cannot allow that to happen.  

You said it for yourself on 25 June 2022 during the election congress in Sandton, that this was your last term in the office. Please stick to it.   

But to cut the story short, step down and let’s give others a chance to restore the image of South African football internationally. If the late Hayatou can leave CAF after many years of service as the president, why can’t you?