Banned former Safa official Kika vows to challenge six-year FIFA ban

16 October 2015 - 12:28 By Asanda Nini

The Eastern Cape’s top football administrator Lindile “Ace” Kika says he will talk to his lawyers after his six-year suspension from national and international football by Fifa. Kika is the former Bafana Bafana team manager‚ former South African Football Association’s (Safa) Border secretary and Safa’s former national head of referees.Speaking exclusively to the Daily Dispatch yesterday‚ Kika vowed to challenge his ban from all football-related activities by Fifa.He said he could not see how the international football federation decided to ban him without affording him an opportunity to state his side of the story.Kika‚ who hails from Mdantsane and has previously led the township’s football association‚ was on Wednesday handed the six-year ban by Fifa’s adjudicatory chamber of the ethics committee chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert.This after he was found guilty for his alleged role in a major match-fixing scandal with Asian betting syndicates before South Africa hosted the 2010 soccer World Cup.Kika‚ the former Safa director of national teams‚ was one of five football officials named in a Fifa report on match-fixing.Yesterday he denied any involvement‚ saying he was the victim of a witchhunt which sought to tarnish his good name.“It’s interesting that this has been publicly communicated by Fifa before I was officially informed. I have not even seen a charge sheet as is standard practice with anyone who is charged‚” he said.Kika said he had left football administration more than a year ago and was now in business.He refused to comment further.Fifa said the ban followed an inquiry into “several international friendly matches played in South Africa in 2010”.An earlier Fifa report exposed how Singapore-based convicted match-fixer‚ Wilson Perumal‚ and his Football 4U organisation had linked up with officials in South Africa to fix matches before the country held the World Cup extravaganza in 2010.Safa chief executive Dennis Mumble could not be reached for comment yesterday.— Daily Dispatch..

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