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South Africans live and breathe football. It is a sport that is intricately woven into the fabric of our society and something which millions upon millions of South Africans care very deeply and passionately about. Despite this fact, and the defining role it plays in our country, it is a sport that has been neglected by the ANC administration for well over a decade:

Its management has been allowed to disintegrate to the extent that, on the brink of hosting one of the greatest tournaments in the world, our key administrators are embroiled in public infighting and seemingly endless mudslinging;
Ticket sales are surrounded in controversy and allegations of corruption;
Refereeing too is mired in allegations of bribery and mismanagement;
Fixtures are poorly managed and run;
Television rights have been mishandled and mismanaged; and
Stadiums have been allowed to deteriorate and fall into disrepair.

The consequence of all of this is that no one suffers more than the South African football fan, those millions of loyal football supporters who, week-in and week-out financially support their teams through thick and thin, regardless - indeed, often in spite of - the attitude of those callous and disinterested administrators, who for years have put their own interests ahead of those people the South African Football Association should be serving.

Against this backdrop, the Democratic Alliance fully supports the suggestion, contained in reports today, that a commission of inquiry into the management of South African football is being considered. Such a commission should not only be considered, it should be set up as a matter of priority. It should be headed by a judge and it should have the full powers of subpoena. It should be mandated to investigate all those problems identified above and the Minister and President should act with the requisite urgency.

One might well ask how it is possible to level such an accusation against a government that has delivered a World Cup. It is true that the World Cup is a wonderful achievement, which will bring much joy to all those people in South Africa who love football, but the World Cup will come and go, and the management of South African football will remain. Unless the legacy of neglect and mismanagement is addressed, it will be business as usual as soon as the World Cup draws to a close.

That the ANC government has allowed things to deteriorate to this degree, for such a long period of time, says much about its attitude to those people who care so passionately about football. Its mooted decision, to take decisive action, is to be welcomed and the DA is fully in support of it. South Africa's football fans deserve no less.