SAFA challenges COSAFA over hosting of tournaments in SA

This was revealed by SAFA CEO Advocate Tebogo Motlanthe earlier today in a media roundtable with the SAFA leadership. 

SABC Sport has learnt that SAFA wrote a strongly worded letter to COSAFA opposing the process in which they approach SA government and provinces to host their tournaments without involving the host football association. 

Motlanthe says the latest agreement between COSAFA and the Free State government on the U20 girls' tournament forced them to step in.

"It has been a challenge with COSAFA because they approach governments on their own. We were surprised to see Free State saying, 'We are hosting this,'" explained Motlanthe.

"And we immediately wrote to COSAFA to say, for us to host a tournament, we need to apply. South Africa has not applied to host these tournaments, but they've been happening.

"So, we are saying to COSAFA, you are in breach of your own Statutes because, you see, it defeats also the prioritisation – the focus when we go to government is the 2027 [Women's World Cup] bid, but others will tell you, 'We have spent on COSAFA.'

"So, we are stopping that. We are going to have a meeting with COSAFA, where we make our position very clear because we have 14 member associations, if not 15 [including Zimbabwe], but everything is happening in South Africa, without us bidding for it.

"So, it's a challenge which we'll need to sit with COSAFA and discuss it, and also engage our government. Part of why we need to address the MECs is to talk about this."