A new Safa bonus structure proposed for Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana, which would reduce their earnings, is likely to face resistance from players, as their input was not sought.
According to documents to be presented at last Saturday’s aborted national executive committee meeting, players will receive between 20% and 45% of tournament winnings, depending on the elimination stage.
This would drastically curtail players’ bonuses from tournaments. For instance, according to Safa’s financial report, Bafana players and staff shared R40m of the R47m won for finishing third at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. In the new structure, they would be entitled to just under R21m, or 44%.
As bonus talks for Bafana will take centre stage ahead of this year’s World Cup, set to kick off in June, Safa has made it clear it will no longer dip into its coffers to pay bonuses.
“If Fifa splits the money between players and member associations, then the Bafana bonuses must be the same as what is allocated by Fifa. Safa will not contribute additional bonuses to the players,” reads the proposal.
Bafana are drawn in Group A at the World Cup and will play the opening match against Mexico on June 11. Should they finish fourth in that group, players would get just 20% of the R144m Fifa will pay for finishing in that position.
If they reach the quarterfinals, they will share 30% of the R310m Fifa will pay for that stage. The winners of this year’s World Cup will get a whopping R815m ($50m), and that would represent Bafana’s big payday if they pull off that miracle, as they would share 45% of that winner’s cheque.
“I’m not aware of national captains being consulted.”— Anonymous Safa NEC member
But the proposal, warned a Safa NEC member who requested anonymity because the document is still to be debated and approved, said it was unlikely players would agree to sign the new deal.
“I’m not aware of national captains being consulted,” the member said.
“The finance committee merely wrote the document and expects us to give it the go-ahead. It’s not the way to go because that’s why you find national teams going on strike when in camp already.”
The SA Football Players Union, which famously intervened when Banyana players embarked on a strike ahead of the Fifa Women’s World Cup a few years ago, said it would first study the proposed structure before commenting.
“I need to check with the stakeholders first,” said former Bafana skipper Thulani Hlatshwayo, the union’s president.
Safa’s latest NEC meeting, postponed from December, descended into chaos over the weekend amid threats of violence over disagreements about agenda items. The delayed financial statement for the year ending June 2025 showed the association in the red, with a R23m deficit.
“It’s not a surprise that the association has no money because there are NEC members taking loans from it without repaying,” said another NEC member.
The statement showed NEC members took loans amounting to R1.7m from Safa.
Sowetan
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