January 6 – Raymond Hack (pictured) has resigned as chief executive of the South African Football Association (SAFA) less than six months before the World Cup in the continuing fall-out from the battle for power in the domestic game.
He is expected to be replaced by Dennis Mumble, a member of the Football Transfomation Forum which was responsible for helping the new SAFA leadership gain victory during the elections in Kempton Part last September.
Hack said: ”I had indicated I wasn’t going to continue in football after the 2010 World Cup but the new leadership of the association have set themselves a new four-year vision and I wasn’t part of that vision.”
But Hack, a lawyer, claimed there was no ill-feeling about his departure.
He said: ”I am not leaving under a cloud.
“I was not pushed and there is no animosity.”
Hack had been a close ally of Irvin Khoza, the powerful chairman of the local World Cup organising committee and the country’s Premier Soccer League (PSL), who suffered a stunning reversal in his bid to win the SAFA presidency last September.
Khoza went up against Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the 2010 World Cup, for the leadership of South African football.
However, in a chaotic meeting both men withdrew their nominations in a bungled tactical manoeuvre, allowing unheralded third candidate Kirsten Nematandani to sweep to power.
Nematandani has moved swiftly to consolidate his power while Khoza threatened a legal bid to overturn the election result, claiming the meeting did not follow procedure, but has since postponed a challenge until after the World Cup final in July.
Nematandani had warned last week that there would be staff changes at the SAFA.
He said: ”When you have been associated with a person for a long time as we have with Hack it becomes difficult to part ways - no matter what the reasons.
“But we did a lot of soul-searching and we believe we have made the right decision.
“Every organisation has a vision of its own and in terms of us going forward, we felt it was correct that we release Hack.
“He has run his race and the new CEO should be announced within a day or two.”
Related stories
December 2009: Nematandani threatens job cuts at SAFA