SAFA president Danny Jordaan

The Ghana Football Association’s General Secretary Lawyer Prosper Harrison Addo has hit out at SAFA after FIFA rejected their appeal. Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images

FIFA Club World Cup: SAFA to meet with Motsepe, Infantino this week

SA’s bid to secure the FIFA Club World Cup in December this year is ramping up, with SAFA boss Danny Jordaan ready for crunch talks with FIFA

SAFA president Danny Jordaan

The Ghana Football Association’s General Secretary Lawyer Prosper Harrison Addo has hit out at SAFA after FIFA rejected their appeal. Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images

Having learnt on Monday that South Africa is keen to host the FIFA Club World Cup in December this year, SAFA has now strongly indicated its intention to secure the event, with President Danny Jordaan due to meet with FIFA President Giovanni Infantino and CAF President Patrice Motsepe later this week. 

After Japan’s decision to withdraw as the event’s host last week, South Africa appears to have emerged as forerunners in the scramble to take the event on. If successful, SA would welcome of football’s biggest clubs, including European Champions Chelsea and Pitso Mosimane’s CAF Champions League holders Al Ahly. 

SAFA working ‘hand in hand’ with gov to bring fans back to stadiums

This wouldn’t be the first time SA has stepped in to host a major tournament on short notice, although the two years afforded to them to prepare for the 2013 Afcon tournament is significantly longer than the fleeting two-and-a-half-months until the FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled to kick off in December. 

SAFA spokesperson Dominic Chimhavi said that despite fans still prohibited from returning to stadiums as per Alert Level 2 lockdown regulations, the recent easing of restrictions – particularly those pertaining to gathering limits – is cause for optimism. 

“SAFA and the Government are working hand in hand to encourage mass vaccination drive and by so doing, start the process of allowing fans back to the stadias,” he said.

“Our target is that by the time Bafana Bafana play Ethiopia next month in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, we should have spectators back in the stadiums.”

SAFA heading for sit-downs with Infantino, Patrice Motsepe in bid to secure FIFA Club World Cup  

As for the legitimacy of SAFA’s bid, Chimhavi said that their swift move to meet with Infantino, Motsepe and Samoura to discuss the matter speaks for itself, and said that the SAFA delegation headed to Lagos, Nigeria later this week is currently “in the process of putting the finer details together” on their bid. 

“SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan is leaving for Lagos, Nigeria on Thursday where, among others, he is going to meet FIFA President Gianni Infantino, SG Madam Fatma Samoura and CAF President Patrice Motsepe regarding the matter.” 

Motsepe – the South African billionaire who was elected President of Africa’s largest governing body in March this year – will meet with Jordaan over the course of the Aisha Buhari Cup, hosted in Nigeria later this week, with the SAFA boss already having courted FIFA secretary general in SA earlier this week. 

South Africa is already working to prepare for several other major sporting events, with Cape Town set to host Formula E in February 2022.