The South African FA on Tuesday "called for an independent probe into claims that it was involved in match-fixing schemes before the 2010 FIFA World Cup," according to XINHUA. A SAFA delegation led by Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation said that the government "should expedite the establishment of an independent judicial commission of inquiry to investigate match-fixing allegations involving the national team Bafana Bafana." SAFA National Exec Committee member Poobalan Govindasamy said, "We urge the government to set up an independent judicial commission of inquiry into these rumors as soon as possible." South Africa reached an agreement with FIFA last month "that an independent inquiry should be set up to deal with match-fixing allegations." SAFA's national exec committee subsequently "endorsed this agreement" (XINHUA, 5/1).
NEXT GENERATION: XINHUA also reported SAFA on Monday "unveiled a development program with the aim of reviving the country's national teams." The program, "made possible through funding provided by the 2010 FIFA World Cup Legacy Trust," will enable SAFA to conduct tournaments among U13 and U15 Boys and Girls Leagues in all the association's 311 Local Football Associations. The tournaments "will kick off in May this year." In the process, 1,000 boys and 1,000 girls who show potential "will be identified and put through high performance tests conducted by high performance universities" (XINHUA, 4/29).
