Johannesburg – The SA Football Association says its national executive committee (NEC) will meet on February 23 to discuss a Fifa report into match fixing.
Safa said in a statement on Sunday that the NEC would also confirm recommendations of the body's legal and constitutional affairs and security committees about how to proceed in the matter.
Pooby Govindasamy, the chairman of Safa's legal and constitutional committee, said all of the people named in the Fifa report were presumed innocent while due process was followed.He added that any decisions about the matter made by the NEC would be final.
“The NEC will take the decision, and no other body has the authority to make any determination on the matter and any presupposition on the issue is premature. We should always keep in mind the rules of natural justice,” Govindasamy said.
“It must be emphasised that to speculate on the outcome of any hearing is dangerous as any person is presumed innocent and must be given an opportunity to explain any allegations against him or her in order to ensure fairness in the process.”
Five Safa officials – president Kirsten Nematandani, acting chief executive Dennis Mumble, Ace Kika, Barney Kujane and Adeel Carelse – were suspended in December after they were implicated in a Fifa probe into match fixing, revolving around Bafana Bafana
warm-up games ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
The Safa NEC reversed the decision and reinstated the senior staffers in January after meeting with sports minister Fikile Mbalula.
In a separate case on Saturday, Safa said it suspended match officials who were implicated in the Phil Setshedi corruption scandal.
Setshedi, the former Bafana Bafana assistant coach, was sentenced on Tuesday to three years' imprisonment for corruption, related to match-fixing. – Sapa