There seems to be trouble in paradise – riddled with paranoia!
So, it’s no longer a secret that Safa Cape Town’s General Secretary has cut ties with his longtime ally and president of Rygate LFA, Abdul Tajoodien, as Joseph is under the impression that “Doeltjes” sold him out to the media – when in actual fact that is not the case…
It was purely unintentional how this unfolded. So, here’s a bit of background and context.
So, my colleague and I were going through the Coke Cup fixture list in search of a stellar game to feature. That’s when we discovered that things didn’t add up and we started calling around to corroborate and confirm the correct information before publishing the actual story.
That’s when it was discovered that the defending champions, Hanover Park FC, did not feature in the draw for the Last 158. That came as a major surprise, as never before had a champion side received a bye into the next round.
It also raised eyebrows, as Diadora FC also confirmed that even when they won this competition back-to-back, they never received a free pass.
It eventually came to light that a Safa CT mistake was made, and a certain team was omitted from the draw. An honest mistake – but something that could easily be remedied. To accommodate this team in the draw, it was felt that the champion, in this case Hanover Park, should be allowed to advance. Nothing wrong with that!
But Joseph, in his infinite wisdom, instead of coming out and admitting that an honest mistake was made, decided to hide the fact and spin the media a story about a computer-generated draw that by chance omitted Hanover Park.
Mind you, the public has also been calling for an open draw for quite some time now as stated in Safa CT statutes as well.
Anyway, Joseph thought he could remedy the situation by manipulating the fixtures thinking no-one would pick it up. But Hanover Park was too big a name to ignore, and that raised eyebrows.
Furthermore, Rygate LFA also raised the alarm bells seeking clarity, which also came as a surprise. I mean this is Rygate after all. And when Rygate tabled a letter – similar to the questions asked by the media – the Safa CT fangs started showing.
Could this be another indication that the relationship between Tajoodien and Joseph has gone pear-shaped?
Not to mention the fact that Joseph, who is in charge of the fixtures, sent Silver Spurs to play in Nyanga at 15:00 on a Sunday afternoon, when all other matches were played on a centralised venue.
With the football landscape so fragmented, divided and in disarray, it’s really sad to see that football’s decision makers are so immature and naive, always seeking revenge on issues that can be resolved amicably and never acting in the best interest of its members.
