Lucas Radebe, the former Leeds United skipper, has expressed his interest in becoming the next president of SA Football Association (Safa). His ambition has received the backing of TS Galaxy star Bernard Parker, who believes Radebe has the experience and vision to lead the football body.
Parker, who is a BoyleSports brand ambassador, spoke exclusively to BoyleSports this week and said he was happy to hear that Radebe was considering running for the top position in Safa. He said Radebe had played at the highest level in the Premier League and had a lot of knowledge about football in South Africa.
“He has gone through it as a player, so I think he would make good decisions as an administrator in terms of us growing as a footballing association and a nation,” Parker said.
He added that Radebe would be able to implement change, especially at the grassroots level, where school football is crucial for the development of young players.
“We should bring back those school inter-house tournaments and leagues and make sure that we have a solid foundation for the future of our football,” he said.
Parker also revealed that he would not mind following in Radebe’s footsteps and running for a Safa position someday.
“I would definitely consider it one day in the future, but it will be a long, long journey and you must take the proper steps,” he said.
“Maybe I could start by becoming chairman of a football club and work my way up to gain as much knowledge and experience as I can. I haven’t thought that far ahead, but it would be a great thing for any nation to have an ex-footballer running for presidency of the footballing association.”