City Press reports that the days at the SA Football Association (SAFA) of its technical director, Walter Steenbok, might be numbered as disciplinary action against him are set to commence in the coming days.

SAFA held an impromptu national executive committee (NEC) meeting in Bloemfontein last week, at which CEO Lydia Monyepao instituted the disciplinary action against Steenbok. There is said to be no love lost between Steenbok and SAFA and he has been accused by some of the organisation’s members of stepping on a number of other officials’ toes. In February, he had a spectacular fallout with NEC member David Molwantwa, after calling him 'stupid' and 'low class'. Steenbok has also been accused of having booted SAFA women’s football director Romney Pinnock out of a meeting, forcing her to relocate back to Cape Town. The move to take action against Steenbok is expected to create huge and unnecessary controversy within the football fraternity. Some are already asking whether SAFA, known to be reeling from one controversy to the next, can afford to take punitive action against one of its hardest-working officials. Yet according to others, the disciplinary action was a foregone conclusion. An NEC member remarked: “This is just a box-ticking exercise, as Steenbok’s fate has been sealed. He’s no longer wanted within the association.” SAFA refused to comment on the latest developments, stating that it did not discuss internal matters with the media.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Timothy Molobi at City Press (subscriber access only)

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page