“It’s Not Sour Grapes”: Zungu Speaks Out After Losing SAFA Presidency
Football administrator and AmaZulu president Sandile Zungu declined to characterize Danny Jordaan’s re-election as a “sad day” for South African football after losing to the incumbent at the SAFA Elective Congress on Saturday.
Zungu challenged Jordaan for the top post, receiving 82 votes against Jordaan’s 157. The victory secures a fourth consecutive four-year term for Jordaan, who has led the South African Football Association (SAFA) since 2013.
Jordaan’s re-election comes as he faces trial in the coming months over allegations of fraud and corruption involving the accusing the misuse of SAFA funds for personal public relations. Sources close to Jordaan’s camp maintain that the charges are part of a smear campaign and express confidence that he will be cleared.
Asked whether the outcome was a disappointment for South African football, Zungu insisted he would not take a bitter stance.
“It is not a sad day,” Zungu said. “Those words cannot come from me. I must emphasize that it is not a sad day. When my competitor has beaten me, using words such as those may cause me to sound derogatory, demeaning, or—at worst—like sour grapes. As I said, I congratulate him.”
Zungu added that it is up to the South African public to evaluate the outcome.
“I will allow South Africa to judge whether this outcome is what they wanted and whether it best serves our football,” Zungu stated.
“It is not for me to act as the witness, the judge, and the prosecutor all at the same time.”
When asked whether he plans to contest the SAFA presidency again in 2030, the AmaZulu boss remained non-committal.
“It is still too early to say, quite honestly,” Zungu remarked.
“I will sleep on the matter and express my gratitude to everyone who supported me from all walks of life—churches, local communities, social media followers, and political organizations who had no direct obligation to lend their backing.
“I don’t support them politically, nor have I ever funded them, so I felt it was remarkable for them to come forward and offer support for South Africa. I thank them for that.”
Zungu concluded: “There will be enough time to campaign. If the demand for change truly touches people, change can happen overnight.”
