SAFA and Banyana Banyana will hold showdown meetings before the players leave the country on Tuesday and Wednesday to participate in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand to solve outstanding issues, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has confirmed.
This was confirmed by the Premier of Gauteng after the World Cup bound-squad refused to play Botswana in the warm-up friendly match at Tsakane Stadium on Sunday.
The players felt disrespected by the association to play such a match at the poorly brown grass, while bonus issues also weren’t resolved.
As they boycotted to play, SAFA, aware that they might be penalised financially since it was an official FIFA friendly and Botswana was already in the country, hastily arranged a makeshift team to play the match, getting players from Gauteng clubs, who are playing in the Hollywood Bets and SASOL leagues.
At the end, the team, which coach Desiree Ellis embarrassingly warmed up herself, with the fitness trainer nowhere to be seen, lost 5-0 and the coach cut a frustrated figure on the bench, hardly barking instructions, looking visibly frustrated.
However, Lesufi confirmed after the match, the two parties agreed to go back to the negotiating table to iron out the issues.
“Everybody will go back to the negotiating table and no need for screaming and shouting and the embarrassment that we saw,” said Lesufi.
“They are two crucial meetings that need to be convened urgently. The first one has to deal with contracts, the CEO (Lydia Monyepao) has committed to start that process of having those meetings.
“Secondly, there will be a meeting just to deal with the logistics of going to the World Cup and SAFA has confirmed that they have organised a Costa Rica (on the 15 July) and other friendly matches would be arranged.
“But there will be preparations and they will attend to the issues. They are other matters of the players because they feel they need things like proper gear equipment, proper nutrition because they also have contracts with their clubs and clubs are monitoring them.
“The two meetings of the contract and the logistics of the World Cup will be held as soon as possible.
“Fourthly, the parties agreed that – go back to the negotiating table with a proper process because we didn’t want to impose ourselves.
“They are proper processes that the organisation resolves their differences.”
Lesufi, flanked by players, members of South African Football Players’ Union and SAFA president Danny Jordaan, was the only one who spoke to the press, reading a statement, while journalists weren’t allowed to ask questions, as he felt it may lead to more trouble from the parties involved.
