By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
January 7 – The five South African administrators suspended last month over the matchfixing scandal that has rocked the nation have been re-instated by their own federation (SAFA) – at least temporarily.
SAFA President Kirsten Nematandani, acting chief executive Dennis Mumble and three others were allowed to resume their duties pending a full-scale investigation following the release of a damning FIFA report into a series of friendlies immediately prior to the 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa.
The 500-page report claimed the five were involved with notorious Singaporean match fixer Wilson Perumal and his Football 4U organisation in rigging warm-up matches against Thailand, Bulgaria, Colombia and Guatemala.
The decision to reinstate the five was made after a SAFA delegation met sports minister Fikile Mbalula and agreed that Nematandani and his colleagues had been improperly and prematurely removed by the committee that had put them on
“special leave”.
The debacle comes just as South Africa are preparing to stage the Africa Cup of Nations between January 19 and February 10, the biggest football event in the country since the World Cup and a crucial public relations exercise in terms of reviving credibility and attracting fresh sponsorship.
Interpol has already been drafted in to help with the investigation into the match-fixing allegations and SAFA assured any sceptics they would not sweep the claims under the carpet. “Given the significance of the findings of the FIFA investigators, the investigation process that follows must be procedurally fair and sound to ensure firm outcomes,” a statement said.
The long-term future of Nematandani would appear to be anything but secure but he insisted he wanted a resolution as much as anyone.
“We are determined to ensure that this report receives the critical attention that it deserves and that anyone found to have transgressed will be fully prosecuted, both in terms of FIFA and SAFA codes of conduct, as well as through the criminal justice system, if necessary,” he said. “It is critical that the integrity of the sport must be without question.”
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