Just when you thought you’d heard it all, Safa Cape Town finds a way to surprise you again.
Following the resignation of treasurer Sadick Williams on Monday, reportedly over governance concerns, the region has moved swiftly to appoint assistant treasurer Marwaan van Reenen as acting successor with immediate effect.
But it wasn’t the appointment itself that raised eyebrows following a Management Committee meeting on Monday. The real talking point was the initial communication announcing the move.
Somehow, the region’s media team actually forgot Van Reenen’s surname and just list his name leaving a blank space in brackets – despite him being a long-serving football administrator from the Athlone LFA and a familiar figure within SAFA CT’s structures.
For an organisation tasked with administering the game at regional level, not knowing the correct name of one of its own senior office bearers is, at best, embarrassing. At worst, it points to a worrying lack of attention to detail within the administration.
While the error was eventually corrected, the damage had already been done. By then, the episode had all the hallmarks of an amateurish and avoidable own goal, raising fresh questions about professionalism within the region’s communications structures.
Meanwhile, No Bones with Jones understands that Williams’ resignation letter, which was directed to the Regional Executive Committee (REC) rather than the Mancom has sparked further discussion behind the scenes. It is believed some within the REC are considering whether his public departure and the issues raised therein may warrant disciplinary scrutiny ahead of Congress.
The developments come at a time when Safa Cape Town is already under pressure to address concerns around its financial administration. Van Reenen will now work alongside Les Mondo picking up the crumbs left behind to try and saviour the damming situation the organisation finds themselves in… will they survive, will they surprise the football fraternity … who knows?
Whether this amounts to meaningful intervention or merely damage control remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the region’s financial gurus face the difficult task of rebuilding confidence in its governance and financial management while trying to preserve what remains of its credibility.
Below is a screenshot of the correspondence sent out without the surname of the assistant treasurer.
