Bafana Bafana players representatives and the South African Football Association (Safa) on Sunday reached an agreement on ‘payment structures’ for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) starting in Ivory Coast this weekend.
Negotiations between Safa and the players had begun in early December, and finally wrapped up just a matter of days before the tournament began. This comes after Safa and Banyana Banyana were involved in a dispute over bonuses ahead of the Fifa Women’s World Cup last year, and the governing body would have been keen to avoid a repeat.
Safa said in a statement on Sunday:
The Bafana Bafana players and the South African Football Association (Ssafa) management met on Sunday, 7th January 2024 to outline the payment structures for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament to be held in Ivory Coast starting on Saturday.
Players well represented
The players were represented by captain Ronwen Williams, Percy Tau, Siyanda Xulu, Veli Mothwa and Themba Zwane and they signed the memorandum on behalf of the Bafana Bafana team participating at this year’s edition of the continental tournament.
The Safa management included the president Danny Jordaan, vice president Bennett Bailey, CEO Lydia Monyepao and the HOD David Molwantwa.
Monyepao said: “We are happy that we could meet with the players, hear them out and come to an agreement on the financial side.”
Jordaan said: “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,”
Bafana coach Hugo Broos and his charges are currently in camp in Stellenbosch preparing for the continental tournament. The team flies back to Johannesburg to play an international friendly against Lesotho behind closed doors on Wednesday before leaving for Ivory Coast on Thursday morning.
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