SAFAring in World Football

Danny Jordan takes the helm at the South African Football Association

The date is 15 May 2004, Zurich, Switzerland at the FIFA (International Federation of Football Associations) headquarters. It is a live television world broadcast. The camera is focusing on the small, aged figure of the FIFA president SeppBlatter as he unfolds a white envelope: “The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be in… South Afrigah”! Tears of jubilation flow all around South Africa, and as a thunder of applause vibrates in Zurich, the camera goes to Nelson Mandela; he is hugging a teary official, and the man is Danny Jordaan.

Danny Jordaan has the kind of leadership personality that attracts recognition both locally and internationally. That is a significant advantage when faced with extremely difficult challenges of reviving SA football. The association’s ship has sunk very deeply. Is the crisis asking for more than he can deliver?

But what about his past? Where did he learn his skill and what are those skills? You might not know about his full career, and his leadership is not only in sport but politics too.

 

In 1990 he was elected chairperson of the African National Congress branch in Port Elizabeth. Then in 1993, he was appointed as a director of the Cape Town Olympic Bid Company. After the first democratic South African elections in 1994, Jordaan became a Member of Parliament for the ANC. He held this position until 1997.

He was instrumental in transforming the economy of South African football. Jordaan led South Africa’s bid to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which the country narrowly lost to Germany; but Jordaan gained great respect internationally for his work.Having led South Africa to a successful bid in 2004 for the right to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Jordaan was then elected CEO of the South Africa 2010 Organising Committee for the 2010 soccer showpiece.

But the big news now is his 2013 appointment as SAFA boss in September.

Clint Roper, Editor of Soccer Laduma, South Africa and Africa’s biggest soccer publication across print, web, mobile and social media, comments on Danny’s election victory. “The last time people in this country were happy about soccer was in 2010, when we hosted the World Cup. I think the country fell back in love with football and the two names that were largely responsible or linked with everything leading up to 2010 and the successful execution of 2010 was Danny Jordaan and Irvin Khoza.”

Some stories require many questions from the journalist, but Roper needs no prompt to continue passionately:“So everything that happened after that, not qualifying for tournaments, having to host things to get involved, where’s  the money from the World Cup gone? … All those kind of problems, people have gone: ‘hold on, when was the last time we were happy?” that was in 2010. ” One has to admit that Roper is right! He continues to explain that this propelled the choice: “Because Irvin can’t run for president, the only other name is Danny.”

But if the choice was only between two, is that still good?  “I would say it is a move in the right direction,” Roper adds.“From what I have heard, I hear he is a fantastic leader. He has strong visions but he still has to work with everyone that he finds there and I think that’s going to be critical.”

Jordaan has actually already served FIFA in numerous capacities, including as a general coordinator for the Youth World Cup (now known as FIFA U-20 World Cup), 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan. He was also a match commissioner for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and a member of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee.

So we have our new man. We strongly unite in his support. Now what are the damages? The extent? The tools needed? The risks involved? The length of time we need to be patient?

Firstly, the national team has recently failed to qualify for the next world cup in Brazil in 2014, the under 23 team failed to qualify for the previous year’s London Olympic games and the under 17 team failed to qualify for the FIFA under 17 world cup to be held in the United Arab Emirates later this month. This is a clear crisis caused by a completely dismal development programme.

All this poses questions about adequacy of the structure. Zuko Gwegwe, a local footballer in the SAFA Cape Town Castle Larger 3rd division league for African Tribes football club and a volunteer coach at Homba Primary School in Khayelitsha, has strong views about the richly neglected talent in this country. “Man! We have an abundance of natural talent in this country. You find amazing technique that has added flair. You don’t find that in European  players. I’ve closely watched and studied players from the rest of Africa as well. Not the same! The skill is just there in these boys.” Ironically and effectively – since we are not going to Brazil – he makes this analogy: “What we have is similar to what you get from Brazilian players. But it ends in void. It is not the Education Department’s responsibility. It is SAFA’s.”

SAFA officials, from the low right up to the top rank have not enjoyed a good reputatation and image in the eyes of the SA public. There have been serious allegations of corruption and infighting.  To tackle this kind of disaster, the new man Danny Jordaan might need to be armed with more than a prolific CV and highly diplomatic character.

Perhaps he needs to thrust a tough hand? Some ruthlessness? Clint Roper comments: “I don’t think he is like Irvin Khoza in that everyone is really scared of the guy, this aura about him like ‘don’t mess with me,’ but I do think that Danny has got a legacy and feel about him that he is a big dog in SA football and the fact that he was recently elected as the CAF (Confederation of African Football) as an advisor to the president speaks volumes.” Roper emphasises why this makes him a good candidate: “So if the African continent, the head of the African continent recognises his leadership, surely he will be good enough for SAFA.” Roper can comment with authority because he knows soccer like the back of his hand: “As I say, within SAFA, if you look at how the election was won, all that internal politicking and stuff, you just wonder who is working against him or if there will be this maturity that, hey, this person that has won isn’t the one that we wanted at the helm but we’ll get behind him for the benefit of the country.” Roper feels that this will be vital to his success; but he adds a warning: “I just hope he is giving the power to wield and action to chop off the dead wood. Bring in new lifeblood into SAFA.”

 So the alarming areas to be sorted out first are clear. The question is what will the new president focus on first? Development? Sponsorship and finance? Or administration?  Clint Roper doesn’t take a second to figure out and articulate this factor. “ I think what SA wants to know is, how much money does SAFA have in their bank account? So…finance. What is our money situation? We want to know where the world cup money is and how much of it is still left. And then we want to know what are we doing with that money to ensure that the right development structures are put in place.” He elaborates on what is needed: “How are we educating our coaches? What is the syllabus for SA soccer? What is our style of play? We need to get into the groundwork and do like countries such as Germany and Spain. We already have loads of natural talent. The rest will just take care of itself.”

Zuko Gwegwe, who is dealing the frustrations on the ground, does seem more brusque about the matter: “He has his work cut out for him,” he laughs. “I first need to see his starting action policies before I can believe in him or not,” he says as he prepares to leave, “I need to go my man!”

Mr Danny Jordaan might not need to be judged on his significant contribution to bringing the FIFA World Cup to Africa for the first time. Now here is a new challenge. Judging by the confidence, there is no indication that Danny might not be reelected in September 2017. The lines have been drawn, the teams are set, the goal posts are netted – kick off!

By Siseko Manca-Gwegwe

@skotchjnr ( Twitter)
Siseko Manca-Gwegwe ( Facebook)
sisekomanca@live.com (e-mail)

 

Ingidi (The Defensive Midfielder)

The defensive midfielder in football is arguably the busiest player in every team. These players are the heart of the team and allow others players to be creative and express themselves. Allow the Chistiano’s to take the shine. This role takes the trophy for being the most unglamorous position in the soccer pitch.

 Yet some of us are really taken to these type of players. I’d be closely watching Chelsea attacking play as a watching Nemamja Matic’s hard work, be captivated by Asernal’s delightful Cazorla, Wilshire and Ozil with equal attention to Mathieu Flamini. Willard Katsande at Amakhosi. Micheal Morton at Maritzburg United. Former Pirate Andile Jali’s exceptional workrate in the team’s double treble success and recently, Bucs’ continental second finish before the player left for Belsh side Oostende. Synonymous with names like ‘the destroyer,’ ‘the engine,’ and ‘ingidi’ are carried by these players. Always found lurking behind the attacking midfielders and in front the defense. Legendary model defensive midfielder, world cup winner and Frenchman Patrick Vieira articulates the core requirements; “you need to communicate strongly and use your intelligence, because quite often you have to be at the right place at the right time. The first tackle on the opposing player needs to transfer a strong message—“I am here and I am going to make it hard for you.”

 Always the ones found to be the receiving verbal warnings from referees, yellow cards and at worst – red cards. After all, you only see a defensive midfielder making a tackle then scoring a goal. It is not hard to find strikers, goalies and attacking midfielders spotting a flamboyant hairstyle, cracking jokes and flashing smiles at opponents—not these soldiers. The committing of fouls is often only for the team’s sake. Despite receiving limited media and fans admiration, these players earn significant reverence from coaches and fellow players instead. Sergio Busquets—the destroyer for the best teams in the world—Spain and Barcelona is revered by captain and midfield general Xavi Henandez- “without Busquets, Barcelona and Spain could never had achieved what we had achieved.”[The La Liga, the Spanish super cup, two EUFA champions league trophies and the club world cup.] With Barcelona. The 2008 European Championship and the 2010 FIFA world cup with the Spanish national team.

What we may also favour about “Ingidi’s” is that above their basic duties of putting pressure on the opponents into causing errors, regaining the ball and quickly laying it off to a teammate to keep possession—these players often pack the most powerful shots at goal. They bullet a ball, klap it. Electrify it. Think Micheal Essein shots. Esrom Nyandoro’s and legend Paul Scholes’ bullets. Always knowing where they should be in order to create space for their teammates, to intercept passes or adjusting the shape of their teams. What we love to see in football, second to goals, might be the ‘first-time’ pass. We delight in seeing these players—not needing more than two touches—intercept, drop a shoulder and quickly move the football on. ‘Receive and Release in an instant’. ‘The Destroyer’s contribution to the game merits a place in football stardorm.

By Siseko Manca-Gwegwe

@skotchjnr (twitter)
Siseko Manca-Gwegwe (Facebook)
sisekomanca@live.com (e-mail)

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