20100330
SABC

The 2010 World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC) and Premier Soccer League chairperson Irvin Khoza has dismissed reports that he is behind a plot to overthrow the newly elected South African Football Association (Safa) leadership under Kirsten Nematandani.

Such talk follows weekend newspaper reports that Khoza has already had meetings to seek support from top government officials and ANC leadership for him to take over as president of SAFA. It was also reported that Khoza was lobbying Safa structures to cast a motion of no confidence in Nematandani after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Khoza says he deliberately ignored all negative media reports since he withdrew from Safa's presidential race for the sake of unity in local football. He says he will not put his selfish interests ahead of the interests of the country. Khoza says he has already written the letter to FIFA president Sepp Blatter to explain his stance.

Khoza says he has already had a meeting with LOC chief executive Danny Jordaan and they have agreed to work tirelessly to ensure that there is a lasting legacy in South African football post the World Cup.

He says the last Safa meeting held over the past weekend took a resolution that there should not be any negative media coverage leading up to the World Cup in June.