Jordaan says SAFA to engage PSL on issue of club sales

Safa president Danny Jordaan has said that the association is are going to have a joint-liaison committee meeting with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) soon to discuss the contentious issue of club ownership and control in the country.

This week‚ the Executive Committee of the SPL confirmed that they had approved the sale transaction applications concerning member clubs of the league‚ most notably of Thanda Royal Zulu to AmaZulu‚ sparking some public outrage.

“We are going to have a joint-liaison meeting soon with the PSL where these issues will be discussed‚” Jordaan said on Friday.

“As far as possible‚ we cannot be against ownership and control changes but we should argue very strongly against relocation. Otherwise‚ you will end up having all the 16 clubs based in Johannesburg.

“Already you find a highly concentrated number of teams in one area and it is in our interest to have a national league covering the whole country.

“In the Premier League in England‚ you find that a team has the name of the location where it is based. Barcelona comes from Barcelona‚ Real Madrid is from Madrid and they can’t move.

“I see Cape Town City has gone that route and that is an indication of the ‘rooted-ness’ of the club in the area.

“And the second issue is of relocation‚ and as far as possible we must try and keep the team where it is.

“The financial challenge is a reality that we are faced with and you will see that Arsenal in England is now playing in the Emirates Stadium and the owners are no longer English.”

Jordaan was speaking at a function where Safa announced a new Sports Executive Committee that will be tasked with running a united schools’ programme in the country.

- TimesLIVE