The Botswana Football Association (BFA) President, Maclean Letshwiti, is alleged to have snubbed the association’s former president David Fani and elected himself for an Executive Committee membership of the Confederation of Southern African Football Association (COSAFA).
The two are now likely to vie for the same position in the COSAFA Executive Committee as the regional football body goes for its elective conference.
Letshwiti’s failure to endorse Fani means the latter will now solely rely on outside allies if he is to retain his position in the COSAFA executive. The former BFA leader has been a key member in the COSAFA executive committee and was credited for playing a major role in drafting the COSAFA constitution.
Despite the snub by the BFA, chances of Fani retaining his position as the COSAFA committee member are still alive as he was nominated by Seychelles and Lesotho football associations.
Contacted for comment COSAFA, Secretary General Sue Destombes said she could not give the names of those who have been nominated for the executive positions of COSAFA because they are yet to finish the process of validation. “These (nominations) are being validated this weekend therefore we can only respond on Monday,” said Destombes.
Destombes could also not give information as to who the BFA nominated but confirmed that Fani has been nominated. “Liaise with BFA directly with regard to who they nominated,”she said. She was reluctant to divulge the number of the candidates and positions contested for.
At the time of going to press the BFA was yet to respond to a Sunday Standard questionnaire.
Meanwhile, Sunday Standard has been reliably informed that at least three candidates are vying for position of the COSAFA presidency – Zimbabwean Football Association President, Phillip Chiyangwa, SAFA president Danny Jordan and incumbent Suketu Patel of Seychelles.
Already, lobbying for the plum COSAFA post is said to have already started and Jordan looks set to capture the position he has craved for but failed to get in the past.
According to sources, some of the member association presidents secretly met last weekend in South African to lobby support for Jordan.
It is alleged that those who support Jordan took advantage of the Soweto derby which was played last weekend at FNB stadium as platform to meet without any suspicion of faction meeting.
