Zungu accepts SAFA election defeat as Jordaan begins fourth term

Sandile Zungu has accepted his defeat by Dr. Danny Jordaan in the South African Football Association (SAFA) presidential election and says he will not challenge the result in court.

The AmaZulu FC chairman was beaten at last weekend’s elective congress in Gauteng, where Jordaan won 157 votes to Zungu’s 82. The result secured the 75-year-old a fourth consecutive term as SAFA president, which will run until 2030.

Zungu had been confident of victory in the build-up to the election and used striking language to describe his expectations.

“What I will not do now, is to shock and awe right now. Shock and awe is for Saturday, and trust me, shock and awe is for Saturday, not now,” he told Roberts Marawa’s Marawa Sports World Wide a few days before the congress.

“Come Saturday when the results are announced, all I’m saying is that there has got to be an emergency vehicle on site because some elderly people may be pulsating dangerously at that time.

“It’s just as serious as that. We are quite convinced, quite honestly, that we have the numbers.”

After the vote, however, Zungu confirmed that he accepted the outcome and would not pursue legal action.

“I have accepted the election result, and I’m not gonna contest legally,” Zungu told KickOff. “So, the new leadership has got my best wishes; there’s work to be done.”

He was also asked whether becoming SAFA president remained an ambition and if he might stand again in the near future. Zungu offered no firm commitment.

“It’s way too early to say,” he replied.

Jordaan, meanwhile, said the election result reflected his record as head of South African football’s governing body. He argued that SAFA’s work had helped improve the professional standing of coaches across the country.

“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 re-election.

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

He also pointed to Banyana Banyana’s performance 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.

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