USSA set to return to SAFA NEC as Lechoo highlights universities’ role

University Sport South Africa (USSA) Football chairperson Katleho Lechoo says the organisation’s return to the South African Football Association (SAFA) National Executive Committee (NEC) will give universities an opportunity to contribute to the wider development of football.

Lechoo and veteran football administrator Poobie Govindsamy are the only two nominated Associate Members compliant on the final national list of 29 members. They will therefore stand unopposed for the two available Associate Member positions.

The election will mark the first time since 2018 that USSA has had representation on the SAFA NEC.

Lechoo, who is from the Free State and works at the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape, believes universities can offer SAFA expertise, infrastructure and established programmes.

“Best practices that we’ve learned over time, you know, programs that we offer, the services, the facilities. I am not in any way trying to promote universities, but I mean we have all these things that you find at a university that are able to contribute continuously to the bigger picture,” said Lechoo.

“I think it’s common knowledge when you look around; these are things that we already have, and some of them are sustainable projects. We really want to share beyond our auspices and beyond our jurisdiction.”

A wider role for USSA

Lechoo said his nomination should be viewed as recognition for the entire USSA Football structure rather than as a personal achievement.

Nomsa Mahlangu, the University of Johannesburg Director of Sport, was the last USSA representative to serve on the SAFA NEC.

There are 11 Associate Members within SAFA, making the competition for the two NEC positions closely contested. USSA’s influence within the football structures is particularly significant in the women’s game, as universities remain the number one supplier of players to the senior national team.

Five universities also compete in the Hollywoodbets Super League, which Lechoo said helped explain why USSA’s nomination was not unexpected.

The main focus in the SAFA elections has been the presidential contest between incumbent Danny Jordaan, who is seeking a fourth term, and challenger Sandile Zungu, the owner of AmaZulu. While many delegates have publicly indicated which candidate they support, Lechoo outlined the contribution USSA believes it can make to the association.

Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana have used different High Performance Centres around the country for training camps over the years. Lechoo pointed to those facilities, along with the services available at universities, as examples of what USSA can bring to SAFA.

The election process has also followed an admission from the SAFA CEO that there was an error in the association’s statutes, while an arbitration process in Gqeberha dismissed an election challenge.