The South African Football Association (Safa) has boldly indicated that it won’t hesitate to nominate World Cup Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan to challenge Issa Hayatou for the presidency in the 2011 Confederation of African Football general elections.
Last year, with no African football administrator having the courage to challenge him, Hayatou, who has been at the helm of CAF for over 20 years, was unanimously given another four-year term as the head of African football’s governing body.
Jordaan has been praised in the corridors of world football for his excellent administrative acumen during the World Cup. And basing on the world cup success, Safa now says Jordaan is the right man to bring change in African football.
“Our position is clear, we want to transform soccer, not only in Africa, but the rest of the world,” said Safa vice-president Mwelo Nonkonyana is quotes saying.
He added: “We have already consulted extensively in this regard. We have to know CAF’s views. We don’t want to antagonise people; we wish to make a difference.”
“Change must come, but it must be a change for the better. We will nominate a person with extensive knowledge of the game, and a person
who has demonstrated those qualities is Danny Jordaan,” commented
Nonkonyana.
According to the CAF constitution, Jordaan is eligible to contest any leadership position by virtue of being a Safa executive member.
Cameroon-born Hayatou is the fifth president of the Confederation of
African Football. At just 28-years-old he became Secretary General of the Cameroon Football Association before taking up the position of Chairman of the FA in 1986 and chosen to sit on the CAF Executive Committee.
Hayatou took over from Ethiopia’s Ydnekatchew Tessema as CAF president in 1987 upon Tessema’s retirement.
Hayatou has overseen the World Cup appearances by Senegal, Nigeria, and Cameroon, and pushed for African places in the finals to increase from two to five. He has also presided over both the bid and the organizing committee for the 2010 games, the first in Africa.
The African Cup of Nations finals expanded from 8 to 16 teams, in a confederation of over 50 nations in six zones and five regional confederations.
