Let's fix SAFA, the nation's pride

When FIFA, the world soccer governing body, docked Bafana Bafana three points for fielding an ineligible player, Tebogo Mokoena, in their March match against Lesotho, many South Africans were devastated because the country is known for its soccer fervour.

Our chances of qualifying for the World Cup are now in jeopardy. This evening, we will play Rwanda in our last group match. It is a must-win game, and we would require a major favour from Nigeria to defeat Benin, the group's current leaders, in order for us to automatically qualify.

Regardless of whether we are fortunate enough to pass the test and be eligible, the country needs to start seriously questioning the officials who oversee Bafana Bafana, our national treasury.

We cannot carry on as if nothing has changed while our country is humiliated by things like the national team losing points.

We have passionate former players who are highly capable of injecting new ideas into our Bafana. We won't name names, but think back to the team that won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, and you'll realise how much talent this country has to have people running our national team.

It's about time we appointed soccer administrators to manage our football team based on criteria like talent, passion, and merit.

If Bafana makes it to the World Cup, best of luck, but we still need to fix our soccer problems; if the team fails, it's time to start over and clean up the South African Football Association.