Bafana greedy players hold SAFA to ransom

Bafana Bafana players scored an own goal this week when their demand for bigger bonuses for playing in the Confederations Cup failed.

The tournament kicks off on Sunday.

The South African Football Association, who are used to such threats when a major event comes around, have refused to budge.

The players have pulled this trick time and again days before they are due to play in a major tournament.

The threats started in 1997, 24 hours before Bafana were to play England at Old Trafford in Manchester in a friendly.

The English media savaged the players on that occasion. The players last threatened to strike in Egypt in 2006, days before the African Nations Cup finals.

Bafana ended that tournament in disgrace, losing their three first round matches without a point or scoring a goal.

The players are believed to have backed down on their demands of a collective pool of R34 million in bonus money.

Instead they will get R14 million to share if they win the Confederations Cup.

But one Safa insider said: "If the players played like world stars they would attract sponsors and be easily marketable.

"That is not the case at present. They beat Poland 1-0 last weekend in a friendly, but that does not mean Bafana are now world beaters.

They must go out on the field and prove it and then they can demand bigger appearance money."

It is believed Safa offered R90 000 for each player for winning their three first round matches against Iraq, new Zealand and Spain, half of that for a draw and nothing for a defeat.

'The bonus issue is not up for discussion' If the team reach the semi-finals they will be guaranteed R400 000 each while a place in the final would earn them a further R100 000. And if they win the final, they get an extra R150 000, taking their earnings to R650 000.

"We spoke about this and reached a conclusion some time ago and, as far as the association is concerned, the matter is closed," Hack said. He said he found it puzzling that the bonus issue was rearing its head again just before the start of the tournament.

'I thought we'd gone past this culture of springing financial demands' "I thought we'd gone past this culture of springing financial demands days before the tournament. That's why we addressed the matter some time ago."

He would not confirm how much the association had offered but said the figures mentioned "are ridiculous" and warned that players should declare if they want to play for the national team or not. "Anybody who doesn't want to play for the team should say so," concluded Hack.