Jordaan challenges for Southern Africa presidency

South African FA vice-president Danny Jordaan has emerged as the only challenger to Suketu Patel for leadership of Southern African football.

The Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) meets next Friday with the 14 delegates representing the region set to elect a new president.

COSAFA’s chief executive Sue Destombes has confirmed that former 2010 World Cup local organising committee head Jordaan is the only candidate challenging incumbent president Patel, who took over from disgraced Ismail Bhamjee of Botswana in 2006.

Jordaan has been campaigning for the post over the past few months on two platforms, the first being the declining state of football in the Southern region and secondly, the continued dominance of French-speaking nations on the continental governing body, CAF.

Referring to the first issue, he points out that since 1988, when the region had five countries at the African Cup of Nations – South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Zambia and Mozambique – the standard of football has dropped to the extent that only three COSAFA nations – Zambia, Angola and Botswana – will compete at next year’s tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

He says that a lack of leadership and a strong marketing arm are the main reasons for this.

Earlier this year, Jordaan attempted to win a position on world football governing body FIFA’s executive committee, but he was beaten by Algerian Mohamed Raouraoua.

Now he says he wants to work his way from the bottom up and the first step is to challenge Patel for the COSAFA presidency.

He said his priority was to heal the rift in COSAFA first, and then ensure that Africa’s English-speaking countries were properly represented in the African confederation and FIFA decision-making structures.

The North African region is made up of only five countries, but an Egyptian and an Algerian hold the two FIFA positions.

Jordaan adds that COSAFA, East and Central African and West African football associations make up 96 per cent of the continental associations, yet have no representation on FIFA.