Jordaan says re-election proves his impact on South African football

Danny Jordaan says his re-election as president of the South African Football Association (SAFA) is evidence that his leadership has delivered progress across South African football.

Jordaan defeated Sandile Zungu at SAFA’s elective congress in Midrand last weekend, securing another term in charge of the organisation.

His victory came despite criticism from opponents, who have accused him of failing to prioritise grassroots football development. Another allegation is that Jordaan has concentrated mainly on the senior national teams, Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana, because that gives him opportunities such as complimentary flights to international football tournaments.

Jordaan rejected those claims and said his work had also helped improve the professional standing of coaches across the country. He said he had supported their efforts to obtain coaching qualifications, creating opportunities for South African coaches beyond the domestic game.

“For the first time, you find South African coaches are now sought after in all African countries,” Jordaan told the media this week after his election victory.

“We have coaches in Egypt, in Morocco, and these are two leading countries in the African continent.”

He also pointed to Banyana Banyana’s progress at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where they reached the Last 16.

“Banyana Banyana went to the Last 16 in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. This is a massive achievement from where we started, from a zero base,” he said.

Jordaan argued that those developments contradicted suggestions that little had changed under his leadership.

“So, when people talk… It is not true that nothing has happened in South African football,” he added.

The SAFA president also questioned why voters had continued to support the same group of executives if they believed the organisation had failed to advance.

“Why are people still voting for these executives? It’s because they really study football, they are on the ground, they understand what is happening,” Jordaan said.