Smiso Msomi
Advocate Tebogo Motlanthe has made a shock return to Safa year after he resigned from the football governing body, reportedly citing several irregularities as the reason for his departure.
In May last year, Motlanthe relinquished his position as CEO, a move that saw the chief operating officer at the time, Lydia Monyepao, promoted to the position of CEO, leaving the previous post vacant.
However, in a huge turn of events, Motlanthe has now returned to Safa House and will assume the position of COO.
He expressed his delight at being allowed back into the South African football mother body and committed his expertise to ensuring the efficient running of Safa.
“I am happy to be back and part of a collective that is working on making Safa a world-class organisation,” Motlanthe said.
Motlanthe holds a Fifa diploma in football law and is a CAF instructor for club licensing. He previously served as a senior manager for legal and membership affairs at the association. He has kept his position as CEO of Motsepe Foundation Championship newcomers Kruger United.
Safa president Danny Jordaan, who was said to have been at loggerheads with Motlantle before his departure last year, welcomed the return of the wily administrator to his team. Jordaan had previously dismissed any suggestions of a rift between the two, a stance also echoed by the advocate soon after his resignation.
When he left Safa, Motlanthe insisted he did not have a personal problem with Jordaan but pointed out that there were organisational disagreements. The relationship between Motlanthe and the organisation has been solidified once more with his decision to return.
“The position of COO has been entrenched at Safa but was vacant, so we are happy that Motlanthe has agreed to return,” Jordaan told Safa media this week.
He went on to pledge the association’s commitment to ensuring the growth of the domestic game both on and off the field.
“We want to make sure that we have winning national teams, we want to strengthen schools sport, we want to qualify for the Fifa women’s and men’s World Cups, Afcon and Wafcon, strengthen our administration and also work on the 2031 Fifa Women’s World Cup bid.”