admintop officials following a report into match-fixing involving the national team.
South African Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani, new chief executive Dennis Mumble and its top refereeing officials have been suspended indefinitely as the organisation said it planned to ask a judge to set up an independent inquiry.
The suspension follows the handing over last Friday by world governing body Fifa to Safa of a 500-page report investigating the activities of convicted Singapore match fixer Wilson Raj Perumal and his Football 4U organisation.
Following a report by football’s world governing body Fifa into the rigged games, Safa resolved that “a Commission of Enquiry be set up” and that “(Safa) president (Namatandani) would have to appear before the Commission of Enquiry to explain his role in the matter,” it said in a statement.
“Having considered the implications of this for Safa, the Committee asked the President to take a voluntary leave of absence from his position,” the body added.
The report highlighted the involvement of the five South African officials, a press briefing in Johannesburg was told.
“These suspensions were necessary for good governance and for allowing this matter to be thoroughly and properly investigated,” said outgoing chief executive Robin Petersen, who was due to hand over to Mumble next month.
A retired judge is to head the probe, which will also call former CEO Lesley Sedibe and former head of referees Steve Goddard.
Vice-president Mwelo Nonkonyana will act as interim president.
The officials will have to explain how convicted Singapori match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal arranged a deal for his scam company Football 4U International to organise friendlies with Guatemala, Colombia, Thailand and Bulgaria, which he then rigged.
Safa’s executive was never informed of the arrangement, which is against Fifa rules.
“Safa apologised to Fifa, and undertook to take the urgent and serious actions to deal with the matter,” it said.
A source inside the association earlier told the Sunday Sun high-profile people had been involved.
“The names are going to shock the soccer world. They were heavily involved and heads are going to roll. The names are going to embarrass the association.”
Fifa has alleged that the results of pre-World Cup warm-up matches against Thailand, Bulgaria, Colombia and Guatemala in the weeks leading up the 2010 finals were fixed.
The suspended officials had engaged Perumal to organise opponents for South Africa’s national team as they prepared to host the World Cup, and then also agreed to Perumal’s suggestion he bring in and pay referees from other African countries to handle the matches, Safa said.
The referees then fixed the results of the games to benefit an Asian betting syndicate, some of the matches filled with dubious penalty decisions and poor off-side calls.
Allegations of match-fixing were first revealed in the South African press in July last year but Safa did not immediately act, only raising the issue once Fifa had incorporated the country into a wider investigation into Perumal.
Safa said it would ask a retired judge to take charge of an urgent commission of inquiry “so that the issue can be speedily resolved”. The organisation’s image has suffered in recent years from in-fighting between football politicians and near bankruptcy, with an independent audit firm brought in to run the body’s finances. Safa was hoping a successful Nations Cup tournament, which starts on January 19, would help turn around its fortunes and recently unveiled a long-term development plan it is hoping to entice corporate sponsors to back it. — AFP.
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