THE South African Football Association has a new president in Kirsten Nematandani, but it still has the same old problems.
Chief among these is the blight of factionalism, which continues to rage in the wake of the election of Nematandani.
The two protagonists are PSL boss, Irvin Khoza and Local Organising Committee boss, Danny Jordaan.
What appears to have occurred on Saturday is that Jordaan finally got the better of Khoza.
This was revealed when delegates were called on to vote on inane matters prior to the big vote.
The factions took opposite sides and these minor matters ended up as an eye-opening straw vote ahead of the presidential showdown.
Both Khoza and Jordaan were skating on thin ice when it came to their eligibility to stand and it was then that the latter played his trump card, voluntarily withdrawing.
Khoza had no option to follow suite, especially as it was clear he lacked a clear majority.
He went further and stormed out of the meeting, taking PSL officials with him.
Nematandani stepped into the breech and was elected only to be immediately caricatured by Khoza’s supporters as Jordaan’s puppet.
While this intrigue has been carrying on in the corridors of soccer power, valuable time has been wasted.
Time which could have been spent trying to solve the most pressing problem this nation faces right now: The looming prospect of the early elimination of Bafana Bafana from next year’s World Cup.
The failure of the national team to find good finishers could turn the 2010 spectacle into a damp squib. Safa must stop the fighting and get on with sorting out football before its too late.