adminsensationally withdrew his candidature.
Jordaan withdrew just as the voting process was about to begin at the regional body’s congress here yesterday.
Patel, who had been calmly confident ahead of the election to choose a new leader for the region, was retained together with his executive at the indaba.
There were reports that his camp had realised, after the last minute jockeying for votes, that his chances of winning had severely diminished.
The majority of the representatives of the 14-member bloc was left a surprised and disappointed lot following threats by Safa president Kirsten Nematandani that his association would review their
further participation in Cosafa following the failure by Jordaan to land the top post.
Safa, who had nominated Jordaan, had unsuccessfully sought an adjournment of the meeting just as the members were preparing to vote.
But the auditorium rejected the bid after which the South Africans were excused from the meeting in order to “consult”.
They then returned after a brief spell with Nematandani announcing that they were withdrawing their nomination for Jordaan, which left the members to vote for and endorse Patel.
But that was not before the Safa president drew the ire of his counterparts when threatening to withdraw their membership from the regional body.
The Jordaan camp was keeping a tight lid on what had driven them to their decision.
But a jubilant Patel, speaking after yet another landslide victory, said he would work hard to heal the wounds of division which had been brought about in Cosafa in the run up to the elections.
The 59-year-old former Seychelles Football Association president also insisted that he would now work round the clock to secure substantive sponsorship for the Senior Men’s Challenge Cup and restore its status as the region’s flagship competition.
Zimbabwe were the last winners of the Cosafa Senior Men’s Challenge Cup when Sunday Chidzambwa’s class of homegrown talent won the tournament on home soil in 2009.
Patel also revealed that the Under-17 tournament would now be held under the auspices of the bi-annual Zone VI Youth Games following an agreement which they had reached with the Zone VI leadership for Cosafa to run the football aspect of the Games.
The Seychelles businessman said he was under no illusions about the challenges he faces in his second term as Cosafa president but reckoned that the support pledged by the member associations would make his tenure a bigger success.
Patel, who is also a Confederation of African Football vice-president, also pledged to his position as the man in charge of the development committee on the continent to spearhead the growth of the grassroots game in his region and also make the Cosafa voice heard in the Caf corridors of power.
“At the moment our priority is to get the Senior Challenge Cup going and now that the litigation that we faced is behind us we think we can quickly do that. Once we have it back with sponsorship it can become the bouquet of everything.
“The arrangement we have made with Zone VI to have their football competition being run by Cosafa and make it an Under-17 tournament instead of Under-20 as has been the case will not only
improve the quality of the games but will guarantee that our young boys can compete against each every two years,” Patel said.
He indicated that his first port of call in trying to heal the visions in the region would to visit South Africa and meet wit the Safa leadership.
“I know that elections are divisive but I hope this will be put behind us as things cool down. I think the mere fact that people have re-elected shows the confidence they have and that there is solidarity.
“I think this (the re-election) is a trust that people have in me and I will do my best for them. In some things we will succeed and we will fail in others but you have involve everyone and I will continue to give it my best.
“I think the differences we may have in Cosafa have been blown out of proportion.
“The fact that we have differences doesn’t mean we are not united. In any big family there can be differences of opinion but you remain a family.
“I think we should also now look at how we can have more teams from the region qualifying for the African Cup of Nations and after the World Cup but I cannot go to each and every country and try to prescribe a development programme for them,” Patel said.
Online Reporter