South African football legend Professor Ngubane slams Safa president Danny Jordaan - 'He has been surrounding himself with 'yes-men' and 'yes-women'

Former South African football star Mlungisi Professor Ngubane strongly criticised Safa president Dr. Danny Jordaan claiming that he has been overlooking former players who could potentially contribute to the development of local football.

There have been suggestions for legendary figures like Lucas Radebe, Doctor Khumalo, and Mark Fish, just to mention a few, to be considered for leadership roles within Safa, yet as of now, that opportunity has not been presented.

Ngubane, who is celebrated for the mesmerizing skills he dished during his playing times, has provided input on the suggestions. He underscored the challenges faced by retired players, pointing fingers at Jordaan's leadership as a major factor.

"Danny Jordaan is a nice guy. When you speak to him, he listens, but after that, he doesn’t do what you ask him to do. His main problem has been surrounding himself with 'yes-men' and 'yes-women'. He has never been willing to work with former professional footballers as other countries do," Ngubane told KickOff.com.

"We need some of the country's legends to be involved in the running of South African football. Do you mean to tell me that out of all the former players, none of us understands the game? Replacing him as SAFA president would be easy because there are many capable individuals who could take over," he adds.

"To be honest, I don’t know of anything particularly bad Danny has done. It’s just that during his tenure, he never gave former professional players a chance to work with him," added the former Black Leopards coach.

"The only former Bafana Bafana player currently with SAFA is Helman Mkhalele. He is the only one who has been built to be where he is now. Danny never really looked out for us former professional players, and that’s my opinion."

Jordaan stole the limelight recently due to his arrest for fraudulent activities and theft amounting to R1.3 million. He was charged along with two other Safa officials. 

The veteran administrator has been in the Safa office for 11 years now. He assumed the position of the president in 2013, taking over from businessman Kirsten Nematandani.

However, the majority of South African football enthusiasts have been expressing discontent with his leadership and are advocating for his removal.

Jordaan successfully retained his position in the 2022 election, prevailing over former Safa vice-president Ria Ledwaba and Safa Tshwane president Solly Mohlabeng.

It would be intriguing to see whether the 73-year-old administrator will contest in the 2026 elections. Jordaan is scheduled to appear again in court on December 5, 2024.