SAFA election race, Ace Ncobo receiving death threats

by Phumzile Ngcatshe

Thursday Mar 15, 2018. 10:30

As the battle for the South African Football Association’s presidency job intensifies, presidential candidate Andile ‘Ace’ Ncobo has called on FIFA to disband the association and place it under administration.

Ncobo has called on the global football governing body to act on SAFA for alleged gross violation of its electoral codes.

Ncobo addressed the media at FNB Stadium on Tuesday‚ saying they have exhausted all the internal avenues to voice their unhappiness with SAFA regarding alleged violations to the electoral codes and statutes leading up to the planned elective congress next weekend.

The former Premier Soccer League and FIFA referee revealed that he is also receiving death threats and has opened a case.

“FIFA must place SAFA under administration according to Section G 1‚ 2. 3 in their statutes which deal with violations of the electoral code‚" he said.

"It is not a request but it is something that is prescribed when a Football Association violates statutes and the electoral code of FIFA.”

According to the Timeslive website, the former school teacher added that for the past few weeks they have familiarised themselves with the statutes and the electoral code with the help of legal experts.

“One of the strictest articles in the FIFA statutes is that you must exhaust all the internal remedies that are available to you before you enter the courts‚" he added.

"We have consistently kept within the parameters of those prescripts and having written to FIFA means that we have exhausted all the internal remedies that are available to us.

"We await a response from FIFA whether or not they will implement the provisions of Section G as I have outlined it.

“Should FIFA fail to deal with this matter in terms of Section G‚ we will have no choice but to escalate the war because there is an election at FIFA next year and current president Gianni Infantino will be seeking re-election.

"When we go to court it will not be against SAFA‚ it will be against FIFA for not implementing its statutes.”

“Recently I had to go and open a case because I have been receiving death threats from unknown people.

"I have been consistent in saying that as long as you are still calling me‚ it means you are not ready to kill me.

"Even if you succeed in doing so‚ I will be the happiest corpse in the mortuary because I would have stood for what is right.

"For the past nine months‚ I have been receiving emails‚ messages‚ calls from ordinary football loving people crying out for leadership.

"Danny Jordaan must move‚ he has done his part and he must go home.”