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Is `Bafana` set for scrap heap?

The nickname of the national football team, Bafana Bafana, is likely to be scrapped, the South African Football Association (SAFA) announced at SAFA house on Saturday.

SAFA addressed the media after holding their first national executive meeting of the year and the need to change the team’s name was top of the agenda.

“The issue arises of another company claiming they had the rights to the name first, and we (SAFA) have been through the various legal routes to determine what is the best way forward,” said Safa president Kirsten Nematandani.

“We (SAFA) have come to a decision that the name we have for our national team should belong to the association and the risks of changing the name will be investigated,” said Nematandani.

The announcement comes after SAFA unveiled Pinky Lehoko as acting CEO earlier in the week. Lehoko’s temporary position started from the beginning of February and will serve until the end of March when a new CEO will be appointed.

Nematandani failed to answer the question of whether former SAFA CEO Leslie Sedibe resigned or was dismissed, stating “the two parties came to an amicable agreement to part ways.”

SAFA also expressed the need to acquire new land to expand the organisation.

“The property we are in now is under public works, so we really have a need for our own land that encompasses training centres, technical centres and hotel accommodation in the region of 100 hectares,” said Nematandani.

Nematandani also confirmed SAFA will be announcing a new technical sponsor next week