SA Football.net – Football News & Governance

Access to Arbitration Denied - The Contradictions in SAFA's Response 1

Access to Arbitration Denied - The Contradictions in SAFA's Response 2

Bafana Bafana's Plane Weighed Down By Heavy SAFA Weight

Gladwyn White's The Deafening Silence of Political Parties

Image - The Referee's Decision Must Remain Final

Image of SAFA Leadership Lying to Congress

Poobie Govindasamy Image by Gladwyn White

SAFA House Crushed by the SAFA Constitution 1

SIbam & The Many Questions About His Role

The Spectator Cannot Enter the Field of Play

Cover Photo for the Broken SAFA Statutes

Gladwyn White Image on Modipa - Young Bafana FC Controversy

Latest Insights Into Governance in South African Football

The Election Before the Election - How SAFA’s 2026 electoral process is repeating the methods that compromised the 2022 cycle

There is a fundamental misunderstanding about elections that needs to be confronted in South African football. An election is not simply the event that takes place on the day delegates gather, ballot papers are distributed and votes are counted. The integrity of an election is determined by the entire process that leads to that moment: the rules under which it is conducted, the composition of the electorate, the administration of the electoral process, the treatment of candidates and voters, the resolution of disputes and, above all, whether those competing for power are able to influence the machinery through which that power is acquired.

Dennis Mumble on the 2026 SAFA Elections on Energy FM

2026-08-10 - Listen to an explanation of the processes that govern SAFA elections, from LFA and Regional elections to the nomination process, eligibility criteria and the rules governing term and age limits. Mumble addresses questions about electoral independence and the changes in the SAFA Statutes in 2022. In the next episode, Mumble will deal with the political dimension of the SAFA elections and explain how the campaigns have been conducted on the LFA and Regional level and how it has influenced the electoral process thus far. PLEASE CLICK ON THE TITLE OR IMAGE TO LISTEN TO THE BROADCAST...

Why the SAFA NEC Must Not Be Allowed to Vote

2026-07-16 - The rumoured reinstatement of voting rights for members of the South African Football Association’s (SAFA) National Executive Committee (NEC) by the SAFA Congress on 23 May 2026 invites consideration of a constitutional principle that has occupied political philosophers, jurists and corporate governance scholars for centuries: whether those entrusted with exercising delegated authority may simultaneously become part of the sovereign electorate responsible for conferring and renewing that authority.

The Spectator Cannot Enter the Game - SAFA’s Engineered Elections in Nelson Mandela Bay FA

2026-06-05 - There is a difference between an election that is transparent and an election that is democratic. A ballot can be cast in full view of the room, counted aloud, and announced without secrecy. The process can appear orderly, procedural; even impressive. Yet if the people entitled to vote have already been selected through manipulated nominations, disqualifications, imposed committees, and centrally managed interventions, the transparency is only theatrical and democracy becomes farcical.

The Circular Logic of No Jurisdiction By Expulsion

2026-06-03 - A letter from SAFA which conveys a denial of access to arbitration on the grounds that four "expelled" NEC members are no longer officials falling under the jurisdiction of SAFA, conveys an image of constitutional precision. Every definition appears carefully selected. Every provision seems to point inexorably towards a single conclusion: once the NEC members were expelled, they ceased to fall within any category recognized by the Statutes and therefore ceased to enjoy access to SAFA's arbitration structures. The opposite is true. This article also explores the shocking role played by the Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture when he openly advocated for the expulsion of these officials.

SAFA's Leadership Lied to Its Members - FIFA Cannot Ban Access to Courts

2026-05-30 - On 24 May 2026, four elected members of the National Executive Committee were expelled from office. The justification offered to Congress was simple: they had allegedly failed to exhaust internal remedies and had supposedly violated FIFA's rules by approaching the courts. Delegates were effectively invited to believe that FIFA prohibits football officials from seeking justice in courts of law and that those who do so place South African football at risk.

AFCON 2025 - The Final Whistle Must Mean Final

2026-03-18 - The controversy surrounding the CAF Appeal Board’s 17 March 2026 decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title following an appeal from Morocco has caused great consternation in African football circles, raising questions that go far beyond the outcome of a single match. At its core lies a fundamental issue: can a tribunal overturn what happens on the field of play, or does the authority of the referee remain sacrosanct?

Fix the Rules Before the Vote - A Warning on SAFA’s Elections

Why SAFA Cannot Elect Its Way Out of a Governance Crisis

2026-02-03 – The South African Football Association (SAFA) cannot have a credible election before undertaking substantive constitutional reform. It would therefore be premature to propose any candidate to replace the current SAFA President. The constitutional amendments adopted in 2022 systematically dismantled democratic safeguards that had previously allowed the association to function, albeit imperfectly, as a nominally democratic sporting body. Hannah Arendt and Max Weber cautioned against the manipulation of legality to clothe domination in the appearance of legitimacy. It is precisely this danger that confronts South African football today.

A constitution without a moral and ethical foundation is the antithesis of good governance.

Undermining the Rule of Law -- The Western Cape Nedbank Cup Debacle

2025-12-12 – SAFA’s Provincial Structures — including Western Cape Football Association — are administrative arms of the association, not independent legal entities. They have no juristic personality, no independent constitutional standing, and no right to sue or be sued. Their authority is delegated to them by SAFA National and is strictly limited to what the Constitution permits. South African courts have addressed similar situations for decades. Internal organs of a voluntary association cannot act as if they are separate legal persons. Substructures within a sports body do not acquire standing merely because they are cited in proceedings.

What is Wrong with the SAFA Constitution?

SAFA heads to elections again in 2026 — yet, unless something changes, the outcome is likely to mirror that of 2022. Why? Because the current constitutional framework is structurally engineered to entrench incumbency and suppress genuine renewal. This long read unpacks the systemic flaws embedded in SAFA’s constitution, explains how they undermine the possibility of meaningful change, and demonstrates why credible elections will remain out of reach until the organisation’s governance model is fundamentally reformed. Discover why true transformation is impossible without fixing the rules that shape the game.

SAFA NEC Member Gladwyn White's Revelations on the Governance Challenges in SAFA

FACT CHECK: SAFA Lied to Parliament on 3 June 2025

Our Books

Click here to see how to order

VIDEO BACKGROUND MUSIC CREDITS: (1) INPLUSMUSIC – Upbeat Background Music by Andrii Poradovskyi; (2) Alex Productions – Racing Sport Extreme; (3) White Records – Epic Background Orchestral Music for Short Video.

Sports News

SABC Sport

12 August 2026

Joe Root abolishes team curfew on his return as England Test captain

Joe Root has abolished the curfew placed on the England team in one of his first decisions on his return as Test captain. [...]

12 August 2026

Malawi coach insists the Scorchers play every WAFCON game like a final

Malawi coach Lovemore Fazili says his players are approaching every game like a final, ahead of their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) semifinal clash against Algeria. [...]

12 August 2026

Proteas captain Temba Bavuma 'being built up' for home series against Australia

Temba Bavuma is "all good" and should be ready to take the field when Australia arrive on South African shores for the three-match ODI series next month, according Proteas coach [...]