South African Football Association, (SAFA) CEO Lydia Monyepao said she understands Banyana Banyana’s grievances and the position they come from over the bonus issue.
The FIFA World Cup-bound squad led by coach Desiree Ellis boycotted an international friendly match against Botswana on Sunday afternoon.
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As a result of the widely publicised protest and ugly scenes at Tsakane Stadium in Ekurhuleni, SAFA was forced to assemble a makeshift team to face their Botswana counterparts but they lost 5-0.
In what is labelled a standoff that emanated from issues related to bonuses ahead of the global showpiece, Monyepao said SAFA acted to their best ability.
SAFA CEO MONYEPAO ADDRESSES BANYANA STANDOFF
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Speaking to the media on Monday morning, SAFA CEO Monyepao, a former Banyana player said she understands where the players come from as far as gender equality in sport.
She made it clear that they will engage with the CAF African Women’s Cup of Nations title holders, Banyana just before the team leaves for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The football governing body, FIFA recently declared that players in the World Cup would receive $30 000 (R565 000) for participating in the group stages and the amount is set to go up as teams progress to the knockout stages.
“We handled the situation to the best of our ability. I have to understand where they’re coming from, and I also have to understand where the association is,” Manyepao told the media.
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“I’m wearing two caps. I’ve been fortunate in being the Banyana team manager before and having seen the kind of negotiations that are required in order to reach an agreement.
“Unfortunately, I’m not a team manager right now. So, I was on the other end and relied on the team management to inform me about what was happening. We made decisions according to what was coming out of the camp.”
The former SAFA COO addressed the issue when SAFA unveiled 10bet and Bafana Bafana’s new sponsor partnership.
A report by Sport24 indicates that this direct payment introduced by FIFA is intended to compensate for lower salaries and match fees in women’s football.
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GAUTENG PREMIER INTERVENES IN BANYANA AND SAFA SAGA
Additionally, media reports indicate that Banyana players are demanding that SAFA add to that payment, and they refused to put pen to paper on the contracts that were tabled by the association.
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On Sunday, Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi led a delegation that included SAFA president Danny Jordaan, Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture, and Recreation Morakane Mosupyoe, Banyana captain Refiloe Jane and Monyepao.
“We are going to engage further as the premier indicated. We had a round table where we engaged each other,” she added.
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“We are going to continue the discussions on Monday, or depending on availability so that we can iron out any outstanding issues before the team departs on Wednesday and Thursday for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“I think it’s quite important that we are all on the same page because the last thing we want is to get to New Zealand and we are still not agreeing on certain things.
“There are amendments they’ve brought forward as far as the contract is concerned. We will engage internally so that we can see if we can come to an agreement.”
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