Zungu slams 'dirty tricks' as SAFA Presidential race

The South African Football Association (SAFA) presidential race has reached boiling point, with challenger Sandile Zungu hitting out at alleged 'dirty tricks.'

The high-stakes battle will officially be decided at the SAFA Elective Congress scheduled for Saturday, 12 September. The election process will see delegates from SAFA's 52 electoral regions cast their votes via a secret ballot.

In the latest update from the SAFA Governance Committee, both Jordaan and Zungu have cleared their eligibility and integrity vetting checks, confirming it will be a straight two-man showdown.

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Despite Zungu's camp raising alarms over potential electoral fraud and sudden financial inducements offered to voting delegates over the weekend, the AmaZulu boss maintains that legal teams have been consulted and his faction remains confident of victory.

Zungu's claims about 'dirty tricks'

Speaking at a media briefing at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton, the AmaZulu FC chairman did not hold back as he took direct aim at the camp of the incumbent, Dr Danny Jordaan.

A visibly frustrated Zungu revealed that his team is aggrieved by the current state of affairs.

"We are obviously putting on a brave face, but we are seething with anger because of what has been done to some regions," Zungu fired, claiming that his aligned regions and football legends have been systematically barred from the upcoming vote to stifle the push for leadership change.

"We are obviously putting on a very brave face. We are seething with anger in terms of what is being done to regions," Zungu said.

"Our legends here have been disqualified in the forthcoming elections, and we believe unjustly."

"We believe some regions who are clearly forcefully pushing for change there was an attempt to change leadership, which did not succeed. As punishment for them, they are being disqualified from participating in the forthcoming elections," he said.

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SAFA has remained mum on Zungu’s claim; however, it did respond via a statement to clarify separate claims over bonuses reportedly owed to Bafana Bafana players from the FIFA World Cup.

Jordaan has held the powerful SAFA presidency since 2013, when he replaced Kirsten Nematandani to embark on what has become a 13-year reign.

Seeking a fourth consecutive term despite his ongoing court cases, Jordaan faces his most robust corporate challenge yet.

What Zungu promises should he win the SAFA hot seat

Should Zungu successfully dethrone the long-serving incumbent, the prominent businessman has promised a complete administrative overhaul.

Zungu's manifesto features lofty promises, including modernising SAFA’s systems, establishing sound financial management, aggressively rebuilding grassroots football, and ultimately guiding both Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana to become the first African nations to win their respective FIFA World Cups.

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Bafana Bafana Banyana Banyana Danny Jordaan Safa Sandile Zungu