Nothing will come off the football indaba which the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa had planned.
From the time the idea was mooted, the South African Football Association (Safa) appeared reluctant partners. Safa warned that by participating in the indaba, they could fall foul of Fifa rules which forbid government interference in football affairs.
On Tuesday the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture issued a statement which in part reads:
‘Following the return of the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, the Hon. Nathi Mthethwa, from the Rugby World Cup tournament in Japan, the President of SAFA, Dr Danny Jordaan, accompanied by the Acting CEO, Mr Gay Mokoena, met the Minister to discuss the proposed Indaba. SAFA had indicated in an earlier statement that it would meet the Minister on his return from Japan to discuss the proposed Indaba.
‘The SAFA President confirmed that SAFA has no objection to discussing various aspects of South African football to the Minister.
‘In addition, he emphasized the importance of the catalytic and the key role that the Association needs to play in planning and hosting an Indaba. The Minister confirmed his commitment to consult with key stakeholders in pursuit of his Ministry’s goals.
‘He indicated that the Ministry’s role is to support the various sports federations to grow and improve their achievements.
‘Having considered the logistics of hosting the Indaba as originally proposed by the Ministry, the parties agreed that it would be prudent to reschedule the engagement for early next year.
‘The unforeseen activities of the Rugby National Team, the Springboks, and the schedule of some of the football national teams, namely, Bafana Bafana, Banyana Banyana and the Olympic Team (Under 23) during the FIFA International Week were some of the factors that contributed to the decision.
‘Furthermore, the Minister and the SAFA President agreed that a Joint Task Team, that will involve some of the Technical Staff from both organizations, should be formed to plan and prepare for the engagement. The Task Team will be formed to start with the preparation work soon.’
In partnership with ANA and Sports Leo
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