Safa delegation heads home tonight
The South African Football Association (Safa) observer mission to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations heads home tonight after what has been termed a fruitful time in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
The delegation will leave Libreville this evening and head straight to the Technical Symposium on South African Football taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre on Friday and Saturday.
SuperSport.com met members of the delegation in Bata on Wednesday night where they observed the way the organisers of the 2012 event handled the waterlogged pitch at the Estadio de Bata.
“We have had a good look around and it has been very interesting,” said Alpha Mchunu from eThekwini, home of the Moses Mabhida Stadium. “We will now take back the knowledge we have gained and have our own workshop to plan for 2013.”
Top of the agenda will be the decision of which cities will host matches at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. This was confirmed by Safa vice-president Mandla Mazibuko, who headed the delegation to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
“We hosted the best Fifa World Cup ever but in modern football you learn new trends almost every day. As hosts of the 2013 edition of the tournament, we want to do our homework so that we are not found wanting when we welcome the rest of the continent next year. Bear in mind, it is only a year to go now,” Mazibuko said before the delegation left.
The full delegation consisted of: Alpha Mchunu (Ethekwini/Moses Mabhida Stadium), Monde Mhletywa (Vice-President of Safa Nelson Mandela Region/Nelson Mandela Stadium), Paseka Nkone (North West/Royal Bafokeng Stadium), David Zulu (Mpumalanga/Mbombela Stadium), Abel Rakoma (Limpopo/Peter Mokaba Stadium), Mzwandile Maforvane (Free State/Bloemfontein), Morris Tshabalala (Western Cape/Cape Town Stadium), Safa Chief Operations Officer Dennis Mumble and Safa Head of International Affairs, Ms Pinky Lehoko.