JOHANNESBURG - Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana has said he is prepared to back Tokyo Sexwale to challenge Danny Jordaan for the Safa presidency next month.
Nonkonyana, who is fighting his 2014 expulsion from the football federation at the Johannesburg High Court, appears to still be keen to challenge Jordaan himself, but Sexwale has emerged as a potential new contender after his name was put forward by the National Football Consultative Forum (NFCF) launched on Monday.
“I did not decide that I should run, the people put my name forward and I intend to still campaign. But I have also been tasked with approaching Tokyo to see if he is willing because it appears he is the preferred candidate,” Nonkonyana said.
According to the Safa constitution, he and Sexwale are ineligible to contest in the elections on March 24 because they do not serve in the motherbody structures. At this rate, it is likely Jordaan will run unopposed.
The NFCF ran a poll on its website from Monday and the results, which they claim are from votes cast my members of the public, had Sexwale in the lead by an overwhelming majority. But the businessman and former Minister of Human Settlement was not present at the press conference held at the luxury Sandton apartments by the NFCF.
“This is a ploy and Safa cannot only stand on this one leg,” Nonkonyana said when asked again about his eligibility to run for election.
“We have read the Safa statutes. As you know I am the one who was tasked by Fifa when they wanted all federations to adopt new statutes.
“If you have read them, members are entitled to nominate the candidate of their choice The regulations are electoral and they say people who are in football are eligible."