With a month remaining until what promises to be a fierce battle for the South African Football Association (SAFA) presidency, campaigners behind Sandile Zungu, a well known businessman and football boss, believe his election will change the face of football in the country.

Zungu is challenging current president Danny Jordaan’s 13-year-old reign at the helm of the country's football governing body. Jordaan has been elected three times and is vying for a fourth term.

“Over the years, there has been a systematic neglect of the lower SAFA leagues under the watch of the current leadership. We must professionalise these leagues by pouring more money [into them]. In this way we will stimulate the growth of football in the country and improve the performance of our national teams, starting from our junior teams all the way to our senior national teams. What we see in rugby and cricket must be emulated in football. Zungu is trusted by investors and, as such, he has the potential to bring big capital to support this ambitious plan,” said Inkosi Malusi Zondi, a key Zungu backer in KwaZulu-Natal.

Zondi, who is also the AmaZulu king’s right hand-man charged with overseeing hostels and townships economic revitalisation, has been criss-crossing the province wooing support across the 11 SAFA regions. The much anticipated elections are scheduled for 12 September. Buoyed by the backing of the lobby group calling themselves Save Our SAFA (SOS), Zungu, the president of the PSL outfit AmaZulu FC, officially launched his presidential campaign at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg at the weekend. His campaign is also supported by Bennet Bailey, the SAFA vice president who initially had a campaign of his own but ditched it to support Zungu.

The business tycoon is also supported by former SAFA vice president Riaa Ledwaba.

Zondi asserted that Zungu, 59, was a skilled administrator who had stabilised AmaZulu FC since acquiring the club from the Sokhela family in 2005.

“ If given a chance, we believe he can bring similar changes to South African football that Patrice Motsepe has brought to the African continent. We also believe that this silo mentality and hostility between PSL and SAFA should come to an end for football to prosper. We think he can achieve that,” Zondi stated.

On the other hand, Jordaan aged 74, is supported by the grouping Football Transformation Forum (FTF) in his fourth term bid. The grouping says some of the association's failures should not be attributed to Jordaan, instead it should be put at the door of the entire cohort of the national executive committee (NEC). Jordaan is believed to enjoy majority support across SAFA’s 52 regions.

Another key backer, academic Professor Musa Xulu, stated: “Football in South Africa has been managed in a very clandestine manner, with no clear direction about development, governance and professionalisation. It also lacked the reality that football is both a recreation and a business enterprise.”

He said Zungu was a seasoned businessman who is highly ethical and hled in high regard by the business community.

“He brings the qualities of ethical leadership, astute financial management, ability to attract sponsors - because sponsors basically want clean governance, a developmental approach in the lower leagues as well as professionalisation of the football enterprise,” said Xulu.

Some of the other figures who have thrown their weight behind Zungu’s campaign include football legends such as Lucas Radebe, the former Leeds United captain.