Soccer in turmoil

South African football is in crisis - just months before the country hosts the World Cup. Yesterday the hotly contested South African Football Association (Safa) presidential election descended into chaos with both candidates, Irvin Khoza and Danny Jordaan, dramatically withdrawing from the race.

The withdrawals paved the way for compromise candidate Kirsten Nematandani, chairman of the referees' association, to be elected.

"Kirsten is the president," said a delegate.

Local organising committee (LOC) chairman Khoza, whose bitter battle with LOC CEO Jordaan has divided the football fraternity, stormed out of the conference and was driven away by his trusted lieutenant, Peter Mancer.

It appears the Khoza camp was unsure of its strength.

A vote was taken on whether North West's Motsweding region should participate in the election, because it had submitted its delegation list late. The Jordaan camp voted in favour of its participation - winning 126 to 112.

With each region accounting for votes, it meant Jordaan's vote went up to 130.

After the vote, delegate Mubarak Mohammed, aligned to Khoza, was heard saying: "We are going to lose this thing. We can't win the election with that number of votes."

As Khoza supporters caucused outside the hall, Jordaan's supporters sang: "Danny my president."

A delegate told the Sunday Times that Khoza had simply stood up and declared: "For the sake of football and unity in football I am withdrawing my candidacy."

He then walked out.

As he walked past waiting journalists, Khoza said: "I'm coming back."

A delegate said Jordaan was the first to offer to withdraw from the race, saying: "As there are questions over eligibility, I withdraw."

Auditors Deloitte & Touche had earlier suggested that the election be postponed.

"This is a circus; a total shambles. (Outgoing president Molefi) Oliphant should have shown leadership.

"It appears he is trying to appease all the camps," one of the delegates said.

The Sunday Times understands that Deloitte & Touche asked if they could recuse themselves from the process during Safa's national executive committee meeting on Friday, citing concerns about Jordaan and Khoza's candidacies.

The NEC accepted and retired judge Ralph Zulman and top advocate Ishmael Semenya were roped in to oversee the elections.

The meeting, which began under extremely tight security at the Southern Sun hotel in Kempton Park, ran through all the agenda items before becoming deadlocked when the crucial issue of who will lead Safa beyond 2010 - and control the $400-million (R2.96-billion) windfall from it - came up.

Both Khoza and Jordaan's eligibility was questioned from the floor yesterday after Oliphant dissolved the NEC.

This prompted hurried closed-door consultations between Safa's presiding officers and the two candidates.

Twenty minutes later the presiding officers, Zulman and Semenya, emerged.

They and the auditors then left the venue, saying the matter was beyond the scope of their responsibility.

World soccer governing body Fifa had wanted the election to be postponed until after next year's World Cup.

Fifa secretary-general Jerome Valcke warned earlier this month that "whoever wins the Safa presidency on September 26 will have to choose between the LOC post and the Safa position".

Valcke warned that, should Fifa believe the elections were detrimental to World Cup preparations, Fifa would take over.

"Fifa makes its main income from the World Cup and we can't let anything jeopardise the event," he said.

The outcome of yesterday's annual meeting leaves the future of embattled Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Santana unclear, as both presidential candidates wanted him out.

Jordaan's supporters objected to Khoza's candidacy because he is chairman of the Premier Soccer League.

The argument against Jordaan was that he is not an associate member of the organisation but a paid member of the association.

The eligibility of new president Nematandani did not come under question.

Earlier in the day, Khoza arrived in a silver-grey Jaguar chauffeured by Mancer.

Jordaan drove himself to the venue in a black Mercedes-Benz.

Delegates who spoke to the Sunday Times during toilet breaks described the meeting as tense.

Oliphant was unanimously made honorary life president of the organisation.