Confidential SAFA letter sent to FIFA ends up with Adult World chief executive

A confidential 13-page letter intended for FIFA has been forwarded to the chief executive of adult entertainment retailer Adult World, according to SAFA Cape Town president Bennett Bailey.

Bailey, who is an ally of SAFA president Sandile Zungu, said the document was prepared by the SAFA Cape Town branch and sent exclusively to SAFA chief executive Lydia Monyepao. It was intended for Monyepao to pass on to the FIFA Ethics Committee, the FIFA Investigation Chamber and FIFA’s General Secretary.

Instead, Bailey said the letter was circulated beyond its intended recipients, including to a fake social media account created to criticise SAFA and to the head of Adult World.

“We wrote a 13-page letter from the Safa Cape Town side, dated July 17, which was meant for the Fifa Ethics Committee, the Fifa Investigation Chamber, and the General Secretary of Fifa,” Bailey revealed. “We sent that letter exclusively to the CEO of Safa so that she could forward it to the designated recipients.

“However, it found its way to a fake social media page created to lambast Safa and its work. We don’t know how that happened.

“Beyond that, strangely and worryingly, this letter found its way to the CEO of Adult World. That individual sent us a letter of demand insisting that we retract what was contained in the letter, even though we had sent it directly to her.”

Bailey made the comments during an interview on Marawa Sports Worldwide with Robert Marawa, as SAFA faces mounting scrutiny over the way the association is being run.

He said the contents of the letter were strictly related to football and admitted he had no explanation for how it reached the chief executive of the adult entertainment retailer. Bailey also said he was unaware of any relationship between SAFA officials and Adult World.

“We sent the letter to the Safa CEO, but it found its way there,” Bailey said. “Maybe there is a connection – I don’t know.”

The revelation comes during a period of significant pressure on SAFA’s leadership. The association has been criticised over allegations that its officials continue to operate it like a personal fiefdom.

Sports minister Gayton McKenzie has also publicly condemned SAFA for not providing regular updates on the introduction of video assistant refereeing, despite his department allocating R30 million towards the rollout of the system.

SAFA was subsequently called before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts, and Culture on Tuesday. The association was asked to account for several matters, including the national team’s World Cup campaign, progress with the VAR implementation and developments concerning the appointment of Hugo Broos’ successor, Pitso Mosimane.

The letter disclosed by Bailey was dated 17 July and originated from SAFA Cape Town, where Bailey serves as president. It was not intended for public distribution and was sent to Monyepao with the specific expectation that she would forward it to the relevant FIFA bodies.