Sport | ‘If they win, they get R7-million, if they lose, they get nothing’: SAFA finalises Bafana Bafana Afcon bonus structure

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos greets SAFA president Danny Jordaan.

Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images

The association signed a memorandum of agreement with Bafana Bafana players on Sunday in Stellenbosch, outlining the bonus structure for the Afcon. Negotiations between SAFA and the players had been going on for some time, even though the association had promised such matters would be settled early to avoid a repeat of the Banyana Banyana embarrassment. The senior women’s national team boycotted their send-off match last year ahead of the World Cup after the association failed to met some of their financial demands ahead of the tournament. For more sport news, go to the News24 Sport front page The president of the South African Football Association (SAFA), Danny Jordaan, revealed that Bafana Bafana players will get R7-million if they win the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). 

The association’s management – represented by Jordaan, his deputy Bennet Bailey, CEO Lydia Monyepao and head of delegation for the tournament David Molwantwa – met with the players on Sunday in Stellenbosch to sign a memorandum of agreement.

The players were represented by captain Ronwen Williams, Percy Tau, Siyanda Xulu, Veli Mothwa and Themba Zwane. 

“I am here to make sure that every box has been ticked, there is nothing outstanding and everything is in place for them to focus on football, deliver on football and give us the kind of performances that will make the nation to take a deep breath and say, ‘We have a team'”, Jordaan told SAFA media.

“We have to get the team to focus. We have to clear everything. If they win, they get R7-million. If they lose, they get nothing. We want the team to focus and to perform. We have, over a period of time, settled this team and we don’t want to waste time discussing unnecessary stuff.”

The association didn’t divulge a proper breakdown of the bonus agreement, with the R7-million likely to be the figure that players will share in a tournament whose prize money has been increased to just over R131-million.

SAFA normally breaks down what progression in each stage normally entails financially for the players. 

“Bafana Bafana will fare well in this edition of the Afcon and we are happy that this side of the game is now laid to rest. We have discussed and signed an agreement, which remains confidential between management and players. We are now fully focused on the tournament, on doing well at the Afcon,” Jordaan said in a statement. 

The negotiations with the association and the players had been on-going for some time, despite SAFA saying that they will settle these matters early after they were embarrassed by Banyana Banyana on the eve of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia last year. 

Banyana players decided to boycott their send-off match against Botswana with the finalisation of the bonus structure being one of their grievances.

The players wanted SAFA to commit to their own remuneration agreement with the players, to top up the money that FIFA had ringfenced to go directly to the players in a new approach from the world governing body of ensuring that players are guaranteed to benefit for their labour. 

FIFA set aside R564 000 for each of the players whose nation would be knocked out in the group stage, with the figure rising to just over R5-million for each of the players who would be part of the team that wins the World Cup.

Each Banyana player ended up receiving just over R1-million each for getting knocked out in the last 16. 

SAFA and the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, were forced to go to the Motsepe Foundation to beg for funds to pay the players with the association in a precarious financial position to ensure that they go to the World Cup.

The foundation donated R6-million while the national lottery operator, Ithuba, pledged R2-million to guarantee Banyana Banyana’s best pay day to date. 

The agreement that Bafana Bafana signed with SAFA on Sunday means that the players and coach Hugo Broos can focus on the Afcon where the team is grouped with Tunisia, Mali and Namibia.

They will start the competition against Mali on 16 January. Broos and his charges will wrap up their camp in Stellenbosch on Tuesday.

They will then return to Johannesburg where they will play a friendly against Lesotho behind closed doors on Wednesday and then depart for Ivory Coast on Thursday. 

“We are happy that we could meet with the players, hear them out and come to an agreement on the financial side,” said Monyepao.