Danny Jordaan | |
|---|---|
 Jordaan attending the 2009 World Economic Forum on Africa | |
| Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay | |
| In office 18 May 2015 – 18 August 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Benson Fihla |
| Succeeded by | Athol Trollip |
| Member of theParliament of South Africa fromEastern Cape | |
| In office 1994–1997 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Daniel Alexander Jordaan (1951-09-03)3 September 1951 (age 74) |
| Political party | African National Congress |
| Occupation | Anti-apartheid activist, lawyer, lecturer, football administrator |
Daniel Alexander "Danny" Jordaan (born 3 September 1951) is the president of the South African Football Association (SAFA).[1] He is a former lecturer, politician and anti-apartheid activist. He led South Africa's successful2010 FIFA World Cup bid, the first successful one for Africa, as well as the country's unsuccessful bid four years earlier for the2006 FIFA World Cup, and was the chief executive officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.[2] He is also the former Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, having served from May 2015 until August 2016.
He has served FIFA in numerous capacities, including, as a General Co-ordinator for the Youth World Cup (now FIFA U-20 World Cup), 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan. He was also a match commissioner for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and a member of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee. He served on the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee and 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Organising Committee.
Jordaan is also a member of the International Marketing Council.[3]
Danny Jordaan was born inPort Elizabeth to Maxine and Alexandre Jordaan. He became involved in anti-apartheid activities by joining theSouth African Students' Organisation (SASO) in the early 1970s, an organisation founded bySteve Biko in order to defend the rights of black students. Later, Jordaan also became a member of theUnited Democratic Front and theAfrican National Congress (ANC).[4]
Following his studies, Jordaan became a teacher in 1974. From 1970 to 1983 he was a provincialcricket andfootball player. In the latter sport, he achieved professional status for a brief period. His political and sport interests soon combined and he became an activist in various organizations fighting to break down racial barriers in sport.[5]
From 1983 to 1992 he served as the president or vice-president of various football boards. In 1993, he was appointed as a director of theCape TownOlympic Bid Company.[5][6]
His political career also progressed; in 1990 he was elected as the chairperson of theANC branch in Port Elizabeth North. After the first fully inclusive South African elections in 1994, he became a member of parliament for the ANC under the newly electedNelson Mandela, a position he held until 1997.[5]
In 1997, he was elected as the chief executive officer of SAFA. He subsequently headed South Africa's unsuccessful2006 FIFA World Cup bid, narrowly losing to Germany but gaining great respect internationally for his work. As a consequence, he also led South Africa's2010 FIFA World Cup bid, this time successfully.[3]
Jordaan has served on the marketing and television board ofFIFA since 1998.[7]
On 28 September 2013, Jordaan was elected as the new president ofSouth African Football Association (SAFA), succeedingKirsten Nematandani.[3] He was elected ahead of Mandla Mazibuko by 162 to 88 votes from 52 regions.[8]
In light of the2015 FIFA corruption case, Jordaan admitted to paying $10 Million to a football body led byJack Warner in 2008, but denied that it was a bribe for hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[9]
On 13 November 2024, Jordaan was arrested on suspicion of embezzling R1.3 million ($72,372) of SAFA's funds to hire public relations and security firms for personal use.[10]
Jordaan has a BA degree from theUniversity of the Western Cape and an honours degree from theUniversity of South Africa.
He received a special presidential award fromPresidentNelson Mandela in 1994 as well as the presidential sport achievement award from PresidentThabo Mbeki in 2001.[11] He won South Africa's marketing person of the year award in 2000. In 2004, he was voted 44th in theTop 100 Great South Africans and newsmaker of the year. He received a mayoral award from the mayor ofLos Angeles, California on 24 October 2004. That same year, he won theConfederation of African Football's "most impressive Achiever" alongside Molefi Oliphant and Irvin Khosa.[12]He was awarded theOrder of Ikhamanga in Gold in 2011 for ensuring that South Africa hosted a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup.[13]
Jordaan has been given the freedom of the city ofMaracaibo, Venezuela. He has also received numerous awards from other South African cities.[14]
He has received four honorary doctorates from:Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (D.Phil); the University of South Africa (D. Admin); his alma mater, the University of the Western Cape (D. Phil); and in May 2015 from theUniversity of Fort Hare (D. Admin).[15]
In November 2017, Jordaan issued a statement through his attorney to deny allegations by singer and former parliamentarianJennifer Ferguson that he had raped her 24 years before.[16] Ferguson first posted her allegations onFacebook in October, saying she had been inspired to do so by the#MeToo campaign.[17] Ferguson later accused lawyerNorman Arendse of fishing for information that could be used to discredit her, on Jordaan's behalf. Arendse denied both claims.[18] An allegation that Jordaan had failed to act against an employee who had been accused of rape had been made in the week following Ferguson's allegation by an anonymous source but the claim was refuted by SAFA.[19][20] Until Jordaan's statement, some South African publications refused to name him, even as others did.[21] In April 2018 Jordaan through his attorney called on the South African Police Service to expedite their investigation so that the truth could be revealed. He again denied the allegations.[22][23] Some media questioned whether the rape allegations were part of a political plot to discredit Jordaan ahead of the highly contested SAFA elections that were due to take place in March 2018. Jordaan was widely expected to be unanimously reelected President of the body that administers football in the country.[24]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | FIFA World Cup Chief Organizer 2010-2010 With:Irvin Khoza | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President ofSouth African Football Association 2013- | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Benson Fihla | Mayor ofNelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality 2015-2016 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
