Samlfa rejects claim it backed Sandile Zungu for Safa presidency

The South African Masters and Legends Football Association (Samlfa) says suspended interim president Jacob “Buddha” Mathathe did not have the authority to announce its endorsement of Sandile Zungu for the South African Football Association (Safa) presidency.

Mathathe said at a news conference on Friday that Samlfa had backed Zungu ahead of Safa’s elective congress on 12 September 2026. However, Samlfa has now distanced itself from those comments in a statement issued through the office of its interim secretary-general, Moeketsi Senqhi.

The association said Mathathe was suspended and no longer represented Samlfa in dealings with Safa or any other organisation.

The statement said: “The South African Masters and Legends Football Association (Samlfa), through its interim national executive committee (NEC) and general assembly representing all nine provinces, has noted the live press conference addressed by suspended interim president, Mr Buddah Mathathe, on September 4 2026.”

Mathathe’s meeting was held at the Zodwa Khoza Foundation centre in Diepkloof. Jan “Malombo” Lechaba, Patson “Sparks” Banda and Kagiso “Zero my Hero” Mogale attended.

“Samlfa wishes to place it on record that Mr Mathathe was not speaking on behalf of Samlfa, its interim NEC or its general assembly.

“Following his referral to the Samlfa disciplinary ethics committee, and pursuant to the resolutions of the appropriate structures of the association, Mr Mathathe was suspended from addressing members of SAML or representing the association in any internal or external matters.

“He was further recalled from all Samlfa-related engagements and dealings with Safa and no longer carries any mandate or authority to represent Samlfa in any matter whatsoever.”

Samlfa also addressed Mathathe’s exclusion from the Safa congress, saying the matter was the result of a wider and longstanding governance dispute rather than a recent development.

“The issue surrounding Mr Mathathe’s exclusion from Safa 2026 elective congress scheduled for September 12 did not arise suddenly.

“His status and non-compliance are the culmination of a long-standing governance matter that Samlfa, [and] its NEC have been addressing, including through engagements with Safa.

“Among the serious governance matters raised against Mr Mathathe are the failure to take Samlfa into its first elective congress, the registration of Samlfa as a private entity without the appropriate collective approximately half-million rand in organisational funds, concerns regarding the use of organisational resources, and his failure to subject himself to Samlfa’s internal governance, disciplinary and accountability process.

“Samlfa further wishes to make it clear that any outstanding allegations, complaints or disputes involving Mr Mathathe must be dealt with through the Samlfa disciplinary and ethics committee and the appropriate constitutional structures, and not through the media.

“Our responsibility is to protect the integrity of the association, its membership and the collective decisions of its general assembly,” read the statement.

Samlfa said Mathathe’s suspension followed his referral to its disciplinary ethics committee and decisions taken by the association’s appropriate governing bodies.

It added that unresolved allegations, complaints and disputes involving him should be handled internally through the disciplinary and constitutional processes rather than in public statements or media appearances.

The statement was reported by Sowetan.