Sandile Zungu lays out his battle plan as he goes head-to-head with Danny Jordaan for SAFA Presidency - 'Our development structures are practically dysfunctional, if not dead'

Sandile Zungu has not held back in his critique of the current footballing landscape in South Africa as he prepares to go toe-to-toe with SAFA President incumbent Danny Jordaan.

Despite Bafana Bafana's improved performances on the international stage, the Usuthu owner believes the foundation of the sport is crumbling and requires urgent intervention from new leadership.

Speaking on his motivations for running, Zungu painted a grim picture of the grassroots game.

"There are many inspirations [behind my desire for SAFA Presidency], let’s start with the negative development that inspires me to say I can do better," Zungu said.

"Soccer is at its lowest, in my opinion, notwithstanding the performance of Bafana in the last, or in the ongoing FIFA World Cup, but if you look at various levels that make up the development of soccer, we are practically dysfunctional, if not dead."

One of the pillars of Zungu’s manifesto is the complete revitalisation of youth structures.

He pointed specifically to the collapse of competitive sports in the educational sector as a primary reason for the country's struggle to produce consistent elite talent.

His administration would seek to reintegrate football into the daily lives of students across the nation.

Zungu was emphatic about the current state of youth play, stating: "Take school soccer, it’s non-existent.

"Women’s soccer is coming along nicely, but it can do much better.

"And I think we need to correct that, we need to go on a different growth trajectory, and I think I can make a difference there."

The AmaZulu chief believes that his background in the corporate world provides him with a distinct advantage over his rivals.

He argues that under his watch, SAFA would become a more attractive partner for the private sector, moving away from a reliance on limited government funding and towards a self-sustaining commercial model.

"On the positive side, the economy, called the sports economy, employs hundreds of thousands of people in South Africa.

"It can employ millions," Zungu continued.

"Soccer needs to play its part as the biggest sporting code in the country.

"And my belief is that one, we need to govern soccer correctly, so that we can get commercial interests to come closer."

Beyond administrative changes, Zungu’s vision includes physical infrastructure that would transform how athletes are trained in the country.

He intends to utilise his commercial connections to fund the construction of dedicated facilities in every province, ensuring that talent outside of the major hubs is not overlooked.

Outlining his final vision, Zungu said: "The commercial interests give us money to roll out these development programmes that are much needed at a regional level.

"And I believe I have the gravitas, I have the credentials, I’ve got the experience, I’ve got the networks to bring private sector closer to soccer for the benefit of the regions, for the benefit of the athletes, for the benefit of novel projects that include.

"For example, the building of high-performance centres in all the provinces, world-class high-performance centres in all the provinces, to service the main soccer needs."