Bafana Bafana to get R7m if they win Afcon

While the SA Football Association (Safa) has not revealed the nitty-gritty of the bonus structure, the federation has promised Bafana Bafana players a bounty of R7m if they win the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).        

The tournament starts in Ivory Coast on Saturday. Safa and Bafana players have agreed on the payment structure after a memorandum of agreement was signed by the players and the Safa leadership in Stellenbosch.   

The association was presented by president Danny Jordaan, vice-president Bennett Bailey, CEO Lydia Monyepao and head of delegation David Molwantwa. The players were represented by skipper Ronwen Williams, Percy Tau, Siyanda Xulu, Veli Mothwa and Themba Zwane.   

In a Safa communications video, Jordaan said everything has been sorted out and all that is left is for Bafana to do the job on the pitch.    

“I’m here to make sure every box has been ticked, there’s 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 take a deep breath and say ‘we have a team’,” Jordaan said.   

“We have to get the team to focus. We have to clear everything and if they win, they get R7m. If they lose, they get nothing. We want the team to focus and perform. We have settled this team and we don’t want to waste time discussing unnecessary stuff.”   

The president didn’t reveal how much the players will get if they proceed to the round of 16 and other stages in the build-up to the final. Safa previously provided a breakdown of how much players would pocket for each stage of a tournament.   

Attempts to get clarity from the federation were unsuccessful. While the players will share R7m, the winners of Afcon will get a whopping $7m (R131m) and the runners-up will take home $4m (R74.9m).   

In a Safa statement, Monyepao said: “We are happy we could meet the players, hear them out and come to an agreement on the financial side.”   

Though Jordaan predicted this year’s Afcon will be one of the most competitive, he believes SA has a team that can compete.   

“Bafana Bafana will fare well in this edition of the Afcon and we are happy 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 fully focused on the tournament, on doing well at the Afcon,” said Jordaan. 

Bafana are in group E with Tunisia, Mali and neighbours Namibia. SA kick off their campaign against Mali at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo on January 16 (10pm SA time).