REVEALED: The SAFA letter from Wilson Raj Perumal, master match-fixer. Not sent to Leslie Sedibe but to Kirsten Nematandani

EXCLUSIVE: This is the letter now-banned former SAFA CEO Leslie Sedibe
was waving about at his press conference today. His name does not appear. But
former SAFA President Kirsten Nematandani and Wilson Raj Perumal ARE there

EXCLUSIVE: original notes from Leslie Sedibe's FIFA interview, mentioned today
He says SAFA was dysfunctional. And that Bafana Bafana had no money or plans
for preparation. Here's what it goes on to say:

He found that with the 2010 World cup looming Bafana Bafana had no established training camp and all the main locations had been taken, the team had no warm up friendlies booked and they were running out of time to get them as most teams in the tournament had booked the best opposition already.

Mr. Sedibe went on to say that SAFA had no money at this time and few major sponsors even though they were hosting the world cup.

He felt he needed to concentrate on fund raising for training camps and bringing in sponsors.

Mr. Sedibe recalled that early in March games had been hastily arranged against Swaziland, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

He said the bank had funded the training camp in Brazil as the Association had no money and that the team had mainly played club sides. The coach did not view this as ideal preparation for a World cup and requested another camp and against International competition, preferably against South American teams in preparation for Mexico who was to be Bafana Bafana’s opposition in the first stage of the WC.

The coach wanted a match that would be against opposition with a similar playing style and Mr. Sedibe agreed they should try to find a team that would be good opposition from South America but it proved to be quite difficult.

The team held a camp in Germany and had a game against China prepared but China pulled out at the last minute and the camp in Germany was not ideal preparation. The Team manager was deemed to be negligent and charges were listed against him. The team manager had also failed to provide a budget for the training camp after numerous requests to do so by Mr. Sedibe and the head of finance Mr. Gronie Hluyo. The team manager was removed from the training camp and pulled off the flight to Germany.

There were a number of issues Mr. Sedibe had to deal with in respect of this camp. There was no branding, matches were cancelled without notice by Bafana Bafana causing embarrassment to the sponsors Addidas who had acted to secure the team friendly matches at the last minute.

Mr. Sedibe called in Keith Darcy of KAM, a sports management company based in the UK to assist in recovering the training camp. Friendlies were arranged against Korea DPR and Jamaica.

Other international sides such as Italy, Brazil and Argentina were approached but they already had full warm up schedules.

The next camp was held in Johannesburg and again it was poor quality. Mr. Sedibe had managed to secure some funding from the Lotteries board at this time to ease the financial burden on the association but they were still in dire financial straits.

It was at this point that the approach to provide referees was made by football 4 U. The association was struggling for funding even with some money coming in from the lotteries board, the organization itself was dysfunctional and Mr. Sedibe spent most of his time away from the office working on sponsors and other revenue streams.

Mr. Sedibe did not remember Ace Kika or Steve Goddard bringing anyone to his office to discuss Football 4U, but he did not rule it out. He said it was entirely plausible but added that he would have seen any number of people and contracts through out a working day at that time, with the World cup countdown well and truly in progress.

Oh, and here's SAFA's response to the banning of Sedibe, Adeel Carelse and Steve Goddard in an official statement tonight, from Poobalan Govindsasamy, head of their Ethics Committee:

“At SAFA we have a zero-tolerance policy for any corrupt activity which impacts negatively on this beautiful game and for that reason we welcome strong measures against any individual who is found guilty of such offenses. This should serve as a warning to anyone harbouring intentions of engaging in nefarious activities within the sport that the long arm of the law will catch up with them. Be warned."

Govindsasamy, when challenged by Robert Marawa later, admitted he had no documents on the latest bannings and insisted he was NOT a paid official at SAFA. He claimed not to have been properly briefed by SAFA on the match-fixing affair. Shocking.

Danny Jordaan: SAFA President, Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay... and a huge disappointment from where I'm sitting

High hopes for the President: Danny and me

THE breathtaking betrayal of South African football is neatly summed up in two minutes on a cell phone with SAFA president Danny Jordaan - just 24 hours before another humiliation for our national team.

At the end of a rocky week which saw our top football administrator co-opted by the ruling ANC to become mayor of his home city, Jordaan launched in with: “I have never been paid a cent by the South African Football Association.”

Seconds later, he was detailing how, just this year, he was “awarded R80,000 after tax” by SAFA officials.

Confused? Obviously. We all are. Jordaan and his acolytes have been on the warpath ever since his elevation to mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay municipality was announced. Text messages, tweets and phone calls designed to hush my voice of utter disappointment have been flying faster than Bafana Bafana goalkeeping changes.

But Jordaan, typically, sees no contradiction between “not being paid” and “receiving an honorarium” from SAFA. Just as he sees no difference between “political bias in football” and “being appointed mayor by the government”. Just as he cannot understand why “I can do both jobs” jars heavily with “I need more time to achieve my objectives at SAFA”.

And yes, there he was the next day, shaking hands with Shakes Mashaba's Bafana Bafana before a penalty shoot-out defeat against Botswana in the COSAFA Cup quarter-final on home soil. For clarity: Botswana are ranked 105 in the world, Mashaba has not won in five competitive games and we are going backwards at an alarming rate. But Jordaan feels none of my desperation.

The man is a walking conundrum. He is able to say one thing and do another without blinking an eyelid. But do not mistake this for a hatchet job. Danny and I have been close since before the World Cup in 2010, we have lunched together on several occasions (see picture above), he was my preferred choice for SAFA president when the unlamented Kirsten Nematandani stood down.

I really thought Jordaan would sweep through the mess that is South African football. That he would sort out the match-fixing allegations so boldly laid out by FIFA; that the FIFA World Cup legacy fund – showing a balance of more than R350m when he gave me copies of the account – would be used to develop our game from the bottom up.

Sadly, Jordaan has achieved NOTHING since his appointment. Something I believed impossible. To the match-fixing and the legacy fund nightmares, we can now add a host of new problems which have arisen since Jordaan took office.

It was never going to be easy. In our discussions, Danny told me how – before the fall of Apartheid –he was summoned to the ANC in exile in Lusaka, and asked by the late Oliver Tambo, to “look after our sport, particularly football” when freedom came in 1994.

In one emotional exchange, Jordaan – banned by the old fascist government – told how he was forced to go underground only to be told when democracy came “you are not black enough to run football in South Africa”.

But Jordaan battled through. Elected to serve as an ANC MP in the 1994 elections, he stood down in 1997 to oversee the Cape Town Olympic bid which never quite made it. He went on to spearhead Sepp Blatter’s great ambition – to bring the World Cup to Africa. In 2010 he received great credit for his role in a near-faultless tournament but in truth, it was Blatter’s triumph, and Jordaan’s closeness to Jerome Valcke did little more than make our nation more profitable for the dictatorial guardians of the global game.

Becoming president of SAFA was supposed to be Jordaan’s crowning glory. His attempts at progressing up the slippery slope of Issa Hayatou’s Confederation of African Football failed utterly but he still had SAFA and promises.

When he appointed Shakes Mashaba to run our national team a year ago, Danny fully recognised the risks. He told me “Shakes needs technical help. I will be sending him to see FIFA’s technical guru Gerard Houllier and we will be appointing a Techinical Director to help.”

Of course, neither of those things happened, and South Africa returned from AFCON in Equatorial Guinea earlier this year with a single point after an impressive qualifying campaign. Technically, Bafana were woeful. Mashaba actually boasted about changing goalkeepers three times in three games, his inability to grasp modern tactics was there for all to see, the team disappeared for days after a disastrous exit.

But fawning SAFA officials insisted on lauding Shakes for “a great AFCON” despite producing the worst showing of the 16 qualifying nations despite leading in all three group games. Mashaba went in to the tournament promising victory, he returned to offer a report on the event which never reached the public sphere.

Jordaan insists everything is still in hand. When he rang me, I was about to board a flight at King Shaka International airport. My notes are dotted all around a page of the newspaper I was reading in the departure lounge. It makes for difficult reading if you’re a Jordaan fan, as I had been up to his “mayoral appointment”. I guess I was hoping for a sudden burst of success, a miraculous solving of our problems. Not anymore. Not when you look at the problems facing the FOURTH mayor of his home town in a trouble decade of corruption and incompetence.

Jordaan says: “Neal, you must get the facts right, you must not rush to conclusions. I can’t appoint a Technical Director until we have built a new Technical Centre (an R65m development south of Johannesburg). Dennis Mumble is in charge of that. We are having problems with the paperwork.

“But you cannot appoint the doctor until the hospital is built. When the new Technical Centre comes on-line, we will appoint the Technical Director.

“Houllier? I’ll be speaking to him at the FIFA Congress next month (when Blatter is likely to be voted in once more) or at the World Cup draw. I’m sure I’ll be able to persuade him to come and speak to Shakes.”

A year later, and this is the level of “service delivery” Nelson Mandela Bay’s new mayor can offer. How about the gun amnesty for our Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa, promised after he was shot and killed at Kelly Khumalo’s house last year? And the statue Danny promised to build from the melted down weapons?

“Look Neal, what I can tell you is the government has promised to review the legislation on gun ownership as a result of pressure from SAFA. That is our tribute to Senzo.”

Again, that painful gap between reality and truth. Like the payment issue. There was widespread disbelief when Jordaan insisted he was not paid by SAFA. And he’s at it again on the phone: “I have no SAFA credit card. I have no SAFA petrol card. I work for nothing as a non-executive President.”

But when I ask him if he received money from the ANC he admits to the honorarium: “Every year when we pass the financial report, SAFA delegates agree to a “gift” for all National Executive members. The amount varies. But I can tell you that, after tax, the last one came to R80,000, but that’s over a 12 month period.

“Nobody owns me. Nobody pays me. I have FIVE houses, all paid off. I have two cars, all paid off. My wife and my son work. You are asking me personal questions about my income and I am answering them.”

But he’s not. Jordaan tells me how he used to be a university lecturer and a member of parliament, but he doesn’t explain how that paid for five houses and two cars. Clearly there were some significant “honorariums” in previous years.

But a steady income is just around the corner. He tells me: “I am not the major of Nelson Mandela Bay yet. I still have to be confirmed in the role, but I will be paid a salary by the municipality from June, I think.

“There is no political problem with me running SAFA and Port Elizabeth. Many SAFA members have political roles, not just with the ANC. And internationally, many FA officials have political affiliations.

“You must relax Neal, it will all be fine. I can do both jobs. You must come down to Port Elizabeth, I’ll show your around the offices.”

And how else do you end such a call, other than: “Okay Danny. Best of luck. I think you might need it.”

And you put down the phone.  And put your head in your hands.

Three bites and you're OUT: Why Luis Suarez CANNOT be allowed to continue in this World Cup

All bite on the night: Chiellini and Suarez

THE WORLD CUP faces perhaps the greatest test in its history this week when they address the problem of Luis Suarez and his prominent teeth.

Uruguay's enormously talented striker - scorer of both goals in their epic 2-1 win over England - stands accused of a THIRD incident of biting an opponent during his nation's 1-0 win over Italy last night.

When I say "accused" the pictures are damning – and hugely damaging to the game. As I said last night after the incident, Italy weren't just beaten, they were well bitten. Afterwards the "victim" Giorgio Chiellini was rightly aggrieved, exhibiting clear tooth-marks in his left shoulder.

The whole tooth: Suarez reacts after biting incident

The 29-year-old Juventus defender said: “Suarez is a sneak and he gets away with it because FIFA want their stars to play in the World Cup. I’d love to see if

they have the courage to use video evidence against him.

“The referee saw the bite mark, too, but he did nothing about it.”

Though Uruguay are through to the knock-out stages after a result which saw Italian boss Cesare Prandelli resign, FIFA surely CANNOT allow Suarez to play any further part in the tournament.

The 27-year-old, top scorer with 31 goals in the Premier League last season and joint winner of the European golden boot with Cristiano Ronado, bravely fought back from knee surgery to play in Brazil after his deliberate hand-ball put Ghana out of the tournament in the 2010 quarter-finals.

Muzzled: a possible solution for Suarez

This was supposed to be an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, the emerge as a rival to global superstars like Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazilian four-goal hero Neymar.

Instead, Suarez poses the toughest disciplinary conundrum in the history of the game – any game. While controversial boxer Mike Tyson chewed Evander Holyfield's ear in 1997 and South African rugby Springbok Johan Le Roux bit New Zealand's Sean Fitzpatrick in 1994, Suarez is the first sportsman to stand accused of multiple episodes of, well, let’s call it “attempted cannibalism”.

The first came on 20 November 2010,  when Suárez – playing for Ajax Amsterdam - bit PSV's Otman Bakkal on the shoulder during a 0–0 draw.

Ajax suspended him for two games and fined him an undisclosed amount which the club said they would donate to a "good cause". The Dutch FA later increased the ban to seven games and Suarez was sold to Liverpool without playing another game.

The second bite occurred on 21 April 2013, in a 2–2 draw with Chelsea in a Premier League game at Anfield. Again, he clearly bit Branislav Ivanović on the shoulder. Despite Chelsea protests, Suarez stayed on the pitch and scored the injury-time equaliser.

He was banned for 10 matches with the FA – having already slapped an 8-match ban for racism on the Uruguayan in 2011 – insisting they wanted to send: "a strong message that such deplorable behaviours do not have a place in football".  

Evidence: teeth marks

Then, unbelievably, the THIRD incident last night saw Chiellini bitten in very similar circumstances. The bite marks were quite clear as the Italian ran to the ref to protest, but again, no action was taken and Uruguay went on to win 1-0 and qualify for the last 16.

The football-speaking world remains in shock this morning. The Suarez bite quite simply over-shadowed England’s worst-ever World Cup showing – their 0-0 draw with Costa Rica left them with one point to take home on their flight of shame – and a controversial injury-time penalty which saw Greece win 2-1 and oust the Ivory Coast.

Chiellini added: “The disparity in judgment has been evident. Claudio Marchisio’s sending-off (Italy were already down to 10 men) was ridiculous but more so the fact that Suarez wasn’t sent off.

“There’s the will to protect champions but the referee should have shown him a red card.”

FIFA have announced they will be looking in to the incident and have given Uruguay today to provide mitigation against Suarez’s impending punishment.

In theory, the World Cup disciplinary panel have the power to suspend Suarez for up to two years.

Worryingly, Uruguay are in denial. Their captain Diego Lugano said: "You couldn't have seen it because nothing happened. The worst of everything is the attitude of Chiellini. As a man, he disappointed me totally."

And team-mate Diego Forlan insisted: “I didn’t see anything,” while many fans in the stadium actually missed the incident, it happened so quickly.

But the pictures can leave no question. Uruguay will complain and claim persecution of their best player, one of the finest strikers in Europe over the past 12 months.

Judgement: How twitter views Suarez

To listen to them would be WRONG. Kids will be watching the images today and wondering: “Is it okay to bite an opposing player?” while admiring a man found guilty of racism and cheating.

Media pundit and former Wales international Robbie Savage said: "It is a disgrace. Suarez should never play international football again."

Former USA goalkeeper Brad Friedel agreed: "Still can't believe what I've seen again from Suarez...needs an ENORMOUS ban from football. THIRD time now!"

Suarez must be taught a lasting lesson this time. No football in the spotlight for a year at least. Anything less than ending the World Cup for one of its most talented strikers would be seen as cowardly. Let’s see what FIFA do.

SOCCERBALLZ! my innovative football show on www.ballz.co.za with Mark Fish airs every Thursday from 9am-11am. See Ballz' channel for our growing library of fascinating football interviews with the big names. Ballz will also provide daily World Cup updates from next week.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.