Football and controversy are now considered compatible Siamese twins.
Therefore Sekgororoane’s suggestion cannot be dismissed at face value. It has long been said that the administration of football lies within an exclusive group of individuals and once you cross their paths, the epitaph on your tombstone is effectively written.
However, while that is prevalent where the administration works with people who will ask how high instead of why, judicial bodies should remain beyond reproach.
The football family must have unfettered confidence is such bodies, which should be considered sacred and sacrosanct. Those who want to extend their playground should stay as far away as possible from judicial bodies.
If indeed the judicial bodies are ineffective as communication from BFA chief executive officer, Mfolo Mfolo would suggest, then football is knee-deep in trouble. How then do clubs trust the process where supposed men and women of integrity meet to deliberate over matters before the judicial bodies? Sekgororoane seems to suggest that only those who make judgements favourable to the establishment, survive.
This renders the judicial process nothing but a rubber-stamping exercise. What’s then is the use of filing cases before these judicial bodies if indeed decisions are pre-determined? The association can get away with fiddling with appointment processes within the secretariat and may be at the regions, but its hands should be tied when it comes to the legal processes. When people see sponsors show a clean pair of heels, they express surprise. It is such revelations that will scare away potential partners.
The BFA needs to seriously introspect and not dismiss such reports with impunity. There have been a lot of own goals the association scores with peacock arrogance. Effective management of public relations, both internal and external appears to be down the list of priorities at the BFA. It will not hurt to conduct an audit on the internal and external perceptions about the BFA.
According to Strategic Public Relations, an organisation has three types of images; the mirror, the real and the perceived. Is the BFA prepared to look itself in the mirror and see its real image? Still under Strategic Public Relations, there is reactive and proactive crisis management. The BFA appears to constantly choose none and may be in the few times, it is reactive.
Under the crisis typology, most of the situations at the BFA can be classified under the preventable cluster. These are human made errors which could be avoided. Some of the situations are swept under the carpet through denialism. What is the management philosophy at the BFA? You can choose from this list; democratic, laisser-faire, autocratic or strategic.
When it comes to communication, there is what is called hierarchical communication, which speaks about control and dictating. The other is horizontal communication which takes all stakeholders in the communication process as equal and assumes an open door policy. Apply the one applicable to the BFA. But anywhere does BFA take public relations seriously? Ask Tumo Mpatane and Carol Kgafela, they probably have a better story to tell.
