Broke Safa waits for Afcon prize money to pay Amajita bonuses

The president of the cash-strapped SA Football Association (Safa), Danny Jordaan, says the association will decide on Amajita’s bonuses for winning the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) only once they receive the R3.6m in prize money from the CAF.

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has, meanwhile, vowed to monitor the progress of some of the young players with the aim of possibly integrating them into Bafana in the future.

On Tuesday, Jordaan and Broos were speaking at a press conference to welcome Amajita back to SA at OR Tambo International Airport, 48 hours after the national U20 side beat Morocco 1-0 in the final in Cairo to win their first U20 Afcon title.

“We haven’t received any money from CAF yet, and when we have the money, we will decide [how it’s divided],” Jordaan said. “One thing we know and you [the media] know, [is that] SA football has not missed a single international match. We comply with our commitments, we even play in Chan [the African Nations Championship].”

Safa’s financial woes are well documented, having failed to pay its staff’s March salaries on time.

Jordaan suggested participating in almost all competitions in recent times had emptied their coffers. “In the past we didn’t play in Chan,” he said.

“We play in every single competition under CAF and Fifa, and that means travelling, accommodation, daily allowances and everything. And we fulfil our commitment.”

Broos made it clear the senior national team’s technical panel will keep a close eye on the progress of a few Amajita players who impressed at the U20 Afcon, but cautioned that they would not rush to give them Bafana opportunities.

“I think there are certainly players we have to watch and look after in the next months, but on the other hand, it wouldn’t be a good decision to take them too quickly,” Broos said.

“There’s another World Cup coming for them [Bafana] and after that we play Afcon in December, so let’s see what happens in the next months, but we will follow them very closely, even at club level.”

Broos also advised the Amajita players to stay focused and maintain a good lifestyle to make it to the top. Bafana technical sponsor, Honor, gave every member of the team an Honor 400 Lite smartphone. 

“Everything starts now for you, so it’s up to you now,” Broos said. “You have the opportunity to have a nice life as a professional footballer for the next 10, 12 years ... believe me, it’s the nicest profession you can imagine, but you still have to work very hard. Live the right lifestyle, guys, that’s very important.”