26 January 2025 – The South African Football Association (SAFA) is now looking forward to the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Final Draw on Monday after hosting two successful Ordinary NEC Meetings in Johannesburg this weekend.
The first meeting was on Friday, 24 January 2025 and was a continuation of the adjourned Ordinary NEC Meeting that was held in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, on 12 October 2024. The Members met again in a second meeting of the year at the Southern Sun OR Tambo International Airport on Saturday, 25 January 2025 where they dealt with a number of matters.
SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan said the Members once again engaged passionately on Saturday and the discussions were robust and engaging as they have always been in the past.
“Members were given ample opportunity to express their views and the meeting was very robust, and in the tradition of the NEC meetings, they spoke freely and their voices were heard,” Dr Jordaan said.
“We dealt with a number of matters. We confirmed that for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – CAF Group C qualifying campaign, SAFA will engage a charter flight for Bafana Bafana. We have also approached the cities in terms of hosting the remaining matches of the qualifiers.
“As far as Banyana Banyana is concerned, we will have a number of friendly matches in preparation for the defense of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (to be held in Morocco 5–26 July 2025).”
Dr Jordaan said the year has already began on a positive note after the South African U17 Women’s National Team, Bantwana, beat Gabon 21-2 on aggregate to qualify for the second round of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers. South Africa went into the second leg match leading 12-1 from the away leg in Gabon. Bantwana won the second leg 9-1 after conceding one goal.
The SAFA President also congratulated the South African football clubs that are continuing to fly the country’s flag high on the international stage. Orlando Pirates FC and Mamelodi Sundowns FC are in the quarterfinal stage of the CAF Champions League, while Stellenbosch FC are through to the knockout stage of the CAF Confederations Cup. He said this progress augurs well for South African football and our national teams.
“SAFA also noted the report on the search and seizure conducted by the Hawks at the Association’s headquarters in Nasrec, in the south of Johannesburg, on Friday, 8 March 2024. We hope that the matter will be taken up by the lawyers at the Supreme Court as soon as possible.”
Dr Jordaan travelled to Morocco immediately after the Meeting on Saturday afternoon to attend the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Final Draw.
The draw will be held in Rabat on Monday, 27 January 2025 where the 24 teams that have qualified will learn the identity of the sides they will be drawn against.
Bafana Bafana qualified for the tournament after finishing Group K undefeated and perched at the summit last year, and the SAFA President said coach Hugo Broos’ charges will be viewed as one of the strongest teams in the draw.
South African Football: Bidvest Wits was known for its strong youth development programs before its closure in 2020.
Tweety
Sport Trivia: Who was South Africa\’s first Olympic Gold Medal winner? Answer: Reginald Walker. Reginald Walker was born in 1889 in Natal and in 1907 was the South African 100m champion. He battled with finances to get to London for the 1908 Summer Olympics but once he was there he managed, very unexpectedly to all those competing, to beat the field and walk off with the Gold for the 100m. As at 2005 Reggie Walker was still the youngest winner of the 100m Olympic Gold Medal.
Gov Skull
Fun South African Fact: In the Cape Wineland region, you’ll discover the stunning towns of Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl. This region is home to many award-winning wine estates that produce amazing varieties and vintages year in and year out. South Africa’s wine country is home to more than 500 registered wineries. While exploring these vineyards and estates, be sure to sample some Pinotage, South Africa’s signature variety!