Sedibe asks for time to clear his name in court

24 February 2019 - 14:17
By Tiyani wa ka Mabasa
Former  Safa CEO Leslie Sedibe.
Image: Antonio Muchave Former Safa CEO Leslie Sedibe.

Former SA Football Association (Safa) CEO Leslie Sedibe has requested more time before coming head to head with the local football authority in the high court in Johannesburg.

Sedibe has filed a R5m defamation lawsuit against Safa after Fifa banned him three years ago.

He is understood to be aggrieved and unhappy that he was made the scapegoat of the match-fixing saga that involved Bafana Bafana prior to the 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa - the first world football spectacle to be staged on the African continent.

In March 2016, Fifa banned Sedibe from football-related activities for five years and fined him ?20,000 (R317,000) following a match-fixing investigation.

Sedibe wants to clear his name and the matter was set for court on Friday, but was postponed indefinitely. Sedibe couldn't be reached for comment.

Safa released a statement this week confirming the postponement.

"As the matter is pending before the courts, we do not consider it appropriate to comment on the particulars. It suffices to say that Safa is confident that Sedibe's case is without substance and that when it eventually is heard, his claim will be dismissed. Safa, therefore, looks forward to the hearing of the matter in due course," Safa said.

It's not clear at this stage when the matter would return to court.

Sedibe was banned alongside then Safa's head of national teams Lindile "Ace" Kika, who copped a six-year ban.

Fifa also imposed a two-year ban on both Steve Goddard and Adeel Carelse, the former heads of Safa's refereeing department.