African champions Banyana Banyana have resumed their preparations for the defense of their continental title after the impasse over monies owed to them was resolved on Saturday.
Coach Dr Desiree Ellis and her charges returned to the pitch on Saturday afternoon and played a training match against Benin ahead of the start of the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which is scheduled to be staged in Morocco from 5-26 July 2025.
South African Football Association (SAFA) Vice-President Linda Zwane and CEO Lydia Monyepao momentarily excused themselves from the SAFA Congress in Sandton and contacted the Banyana Banyana camp in Morocco earlier in the day. They spoke to the team’s HOD Thabile Msomi and captain Refiloe Jane in a bid to sort out the matter.
Vice-President Zwane said the two parties found each other and an agreement was reached, paving the way for the Sasol-sponsored South African senior women’s national team to play the training match.
“The Association has made a commitment towards it and making sure that players continue with their preparations as we want them to perform very well in the tournament,” he said.
“We had a discussion with the captain of the team and the HOD, and we were able to then agree and sent the necessary commitment. I think thus far the reports we’re getting are that the team is back at training and they played a friendly game they wanted to play as part of the preparation.”
SAFA CEO Monyepao explained that the matter centres on the friendly matches played in the last few months – the match against Malawi and the ThreeNations series games against Zambia and Botswana – and not on the WAFCON.
“The disagreement arose in terms of the payment dates. In terms of the bonuses, however, we have since addressed that matter. We know that we have a commitment to the players and in terms of friendly matches, we give 30 days,” she said.
“But I think us as a federation, you know where we are right now in terms of our financial performance and it was covered extensively in the SAFA Congress (on Saturday) and deliberated on in terms of how we move forward, and ensuring that going forward, we are able to meet our obligations. But like the Vice President has said, the matter has been settled.”
The SAFA CEO further added that shrinking sponsorships and operating in a tough trading environment have had an impact on sporting organisations, and the Association has not been immune.
“I think for us, we need to accept, you know, in terms of where we are as a Federation financially. We do not have the resources that we used to have in terms of taking care of both senior national teams because the sponsorship for Bafana Bafana has been significantly reduced, whereas at Banyana Banyana, we’ve beefed up their bonuses.
“The bonuses they get now are four times what they used to get. However, although we increased the bonuses four times, we have not managed to get more funding for the team. It means that we have to dig deep into our pockets as a Federation in order to be able to meet all these obligations.
“And, a national team is not only about bonuses. There are so many other logistics that go into a national team. If we check the preparations for Banyana Banyana since last year in May, the team has played 12 international friendly matches, (starting) against Senegal in May last year. In October, they played two top-quality friendly matches against Denmark and England.
“They went to Jamaica in November, December to play those friendly matches. They played Lesotho at the beginning of this year, which was mostly a local-based camp. In March, April, they played Malawi, our neighbors. And in May, they played against Botswana and Zambia in a ThreeNations tournament. Obviously, there are costs that go into logistics in terms of preparing for these tournaments. So, the costs of having these camps are huge.
“For a local camp, we’re talking about R4.9 million if not more. For an international camp, it’s even more. If your host at least pays for accommodation, it reduces the cost. But there are other costs that you need to also incur because a team has to meet certain obligations when they’re overseas, whether they’re overseas or not in terms of fees. It’s the cost of having our teams participating in all these international friendly matches. It’s a cost that is there and we can’t avoid. But I think from our side as a Federation, it’s about increasing the resources, the financial resources that flow into the Federation in order for us to be able to meet all these obligations.”
SOURCED FROM SAFA WEBSITE.