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The South African Football Association (Safa) on Monday claimed a "campaign of hate" was being waged in sections of the media against soccer's national controlling organisation and some of its top officials, with little regard as to how it would affect soccer in the country or the hosting of the World Cup in 2010.
"Safa is in a better financial position than it has been in years," was the gist of a statement released by Safa Public Relations manager Morio Sanyane and endorsed by chief executive Raymond Hack and chairman of the organisation's Financial Committee, Mohamed Mubarak.
The statement was made in answer to allegations in a week-end Johannesburg newspaper that "Safa is broke and Bafana Bafana players have not been paid the monies due to them from the African Nations Cup qualifying game against Chad towards the end of March."
"The report relating to the non-payment of the Bafana players is simply a malicious attempt to show Safa in a bad light," continued the statement. "It is normal procedue for the players to be paid their daily allowances immediately, with all other monies paid at the end of the following month -- and the players will, as is the norm, receive their R60 000 bonus for beating Chad at the end of April."
Bearing the brunt of the onslaught is Hack, who is accused of everything from the leaking tap in Safa's offices to Bafana not scoring a goal and losing all their matches during the 2006 African Nations Cup tournament in Egypt.
"Hack, of course, had nothing to do with the selection of the Bafana squad in Egypt, its tactical planning or the choice of coach," said Sanyane, "and it's disturbing that he is being targeted as a scapegoat for what looks very much like a personal vendetta."
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