The Vice-President of South Africa Football Association in Cape Province banned from the game of football for life alleged sexual harassment, Mr. Vernon Seymour, has denied being a sexual harasser.
Seymour, a prominent football personality, insists that his boss, SAFA President Norman Arendse, hated him and had trumped up the charge to get rid of him.
“It is a fabrication,” he alleged. “There is no document anywhere stating her complaint.
“I have a disposition that when women work there, I call them nice names, like ‘hello Beautiful, hello Miss Charming’, just to create a good working environment.”
“Arendse hates me, but he chairs a meeting to charge me, that’s a conflict of interest. The whole thing smells. Was it a genuine process or was it politically motivated? Some high-ranking person decided we don’t like this guy and we will create something to eliminate him from the team.”
Seymour had been handed the life ban from football after he was charged and found guilty by the SAFA Internal Arbitrator of sexually harassing a female footballer who is an intern from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in the Cape SAFA offices in November last year.
Seymour’s boss and colleague, SAFA Cape president Norman Arendse, hailed the judgment for defending women’s rights in a male-dominated sport.
“The dignity of women is protected by our constitution. There is no place to hide for those who commit this kind of misconduct and engage in this unacceptable behaviour.”
“This is very important because the complainant is a member of the Langa Football Association,” Arendse said.
“She’s a registered footballer, and the harassment originated in the offices of Safa at Athlone Stadium, where she was doing an internship.”
Arendse, who is an advocate and senior counsel, said the banning was unprecedented in South African football, and possibly internationally.
“I don’t know if any high-ranking soccer official in the world has ever been banned from soccer for sexual harassment,” he said. “It’s certainly an important decision.”
The report of the harassment gave examples of comments Seymour allegedly made to the victim, including “we will be naughty” and “you have what I want in your body”.
Arendse said the decision of the arbitrator was final and legally binding upon Seymour, and “his only recourse is to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland”.
But Seymour, also a lawyer, said he would go to the Western Cape High Court to be unbanned.