Cape Town – Safa president Danny Jordaan allegedly played a game of “cat and mouse” with a high-powered Fifa delegation that visited South Africa this week.
It was arranged for Jordaan to meet the delegation investigating Safa’s alleged corrupt bid to secure the hosting of the 2010 World Cup, but he failed to do so.
A three-man team from the world’s football controlling body was in the country to interview senior football officials, who were involved with the bidding and staging of the World Cup in 2010.
The delegation arrived on Monday and returned to Fifa’s headquarters in Switzerland later in the week.
The Sunday Tribune made 26 telephone calls to various Safa officials, including Jordaan, and five SMSes to confirm the Fifa visit and Jordaanâ’s snub, without success.
Safa released an e-mailed press statement on Saturday with the heading: “Safa happy to meet Fifa this week.”
The statement confirmed the Fifa visit and said Safa offered the world governing body help to restore the reputation of football, and that Jordaan was in support of the visit.
According to a source, the Fifa delegation was invited by Safa’s chief executive Dennis Mumble.
The talks were intended to “clear the air” about the alleged payout made to Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) for their three votes during bidding for the 2010 World Cup.
Bonus payments and who Safa engaged as consultants for the World Cup were the other issues raised by the Fifa team.
The FBI is investigating the $10 million Safa paid to Concacaf.
Jordaan was the chief executive of Safa’s Local Organising Committee (LOC) that handled the 2010 World Cup affairs.
As part of its probe into Fifa’s affairs, the FBI has arrested 38 football bosses and businessmen in the past 18 months.
There has been media speculation that the FBI had also issued a warrant for Jordaan’s arrest regarding World Cup bid rigging, the reason Jordaan has not travelled overseas lately.
The source said: “Mumble had written to Fifa last month, to open up talks about the bribe allegations made against Safa, and the way forward.
“Fifa initially failed to heed Mumble’s request but agreed to meet a few key officials this week who were a part of the bidding process.”
But when Jordaan was due to meet the delegation at Safa House in Johannesburg at 2pm on Wednesday, he did not show.
The Fifa delegation met attorney Mansoor Parker, the LOC’s secretary, on Tuesday.
Politician and businessman, Tokyo Sexwale, who was also a 2010 LOC member, could not meet Fifa’s representatives on the same day because he was overseas.
Former Safa president and LOC member Molefi Oliphant went ahead with his 11am appointment with Fifa, but not Jordaan, who was scheduled afterwards.
Safa’s head of communications, Dominic Chimhavi, spoke briefly to the newspaper on Saturday during half-time of the Bafana Bafana and Senegal match.
He said: “Yes, the Fifa officials came at the request of Safa. We wanted to talk about the ridiculous claim made by the FBI. They met Parker and Oliphant and will return next week when Jordaan will be interviewed and Sexwale as well.”
On why Jordaan did not meet Fifa during its visit, Chimhavi said: “He is meeting the delegation this coming week. See the Safa statement on its website, www.safa.net.”
– Sunday Tribune