The South African Football Association (SAFA) has noted with concern reports from certain sections of the media that it is dictating to the government issues related to the impending independent judicial commission of enquiry into match fixing.

For the record, in the meeting held on Friday, 5 April 2013 at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, attended by FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, SAFA President Kirsten Nematandani and Minister of Sports and Recreation SA, Honourable Fikile Mbalula, the three parties reached a concrete conclusion to set up an independent judicial commission of enquiry.

According to the agreement by the three parties, ‘the mandate of this judicial investigation will be limited to matters related to the case of irregularities related to friendly matches of SAFA in the build-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup’ 

(click here for Friday, 5 April 2013 FIFA match-fixing media release).

In the same meeting, ”FIFA also proposed that the judicial body of the FIFA Ethics Committee, represented by its independent Chairman Michael J Garcia, should be part of this special commission. This proposal is backed by SAFA as well as the Minister of Sports but is subject to constitutional approval by the government”.

It is therefore disturbing, malicious and inaccurate to see certain reports insinuating that SAFA is dictating to the government with regards to the scope of the imminent independent judicial commission of enquiry.

What the SAFA NEC did in its meeting on Saturday, 6 April 2013 was merely to ratify the accord reached in Zurich without making any amendments to that agreement.

“We as SAFA are highly disturbed by some members of the media who seem intent on pushing certain agendas. As gatekeepers of society, we expect journalists to be objective and non partisan,” said SAFA President Kirsten Nematandani.