Safa chief executive Lydia Monyepao says they are working around the clock to ensure that they sort out Banyana Banyana’s grievances before they leave for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Banyana refused to play in their send-off match against neighbours Botswana on Sunday afternoon as they cited several reasons for their stunt.
These include Botswana not being a worthy opponent for preparing for the World Cup, Tsakane Stadium not being a world class venue for the match and contractual obligations not being met by Safa.
And while they staged a no show for the encounter, coach Desiree Ellis had to name a makeshift team at the 11th hour whose inexperience was exposed by the Mares who won 5-0.
It was a chaotic situation that transpired that the South African Football Players Union (Safpu) had to intervene on the matter - fighting for the rights of the players - while Sports minister Zizi Kodwa also promised to come up with solutions.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi also worked the mediation role between Safa and the players at the stadium, assuring everyone that Banyana concerns will be addressed before they leave on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
But since Monday morning, Safa were still yet to get in contact with Lesufi as they announced 10bets South Africa as Bafana Bafana’s official betting sponsor at Safa House on four-year deal instead.
“We are going to engage further as the premier Panyaza Lesufi indicated. We had a roundtable where we engaged each other but we are going to continue with the discussion,” Monyepao said.
“Those discussions can continue this afternoon or depending on the availability (of everyone involved) so that we can iron out any outstanding issues before the team departs on Wednesday and Thursday.
“I think it’s quite important that we are all on the same page because the last thing that we want to do is to get to New Zealand and we are still not agreeing on certain things."
"We'll engage on availability first and then we'll engage with them hopefully this afternoon, tonight or tomorrow morning latest - so that tomorrow midday we are all on the same page," Monyepao added.
And while the conversation between all the relevant stakeholders – Safa, Lesufi, the players and Safpu – was yet to take place by the time of publication, Monyepao said they’ll do their best to match the players' demands.
“There are amendments that they’ve brought as far as the contract is concerned. So, we are now engaging internally so that we can see what we are agreeing on and not,” she said.
“We’ll consult with our senior leaders inside including our remuneration committee so that we can take the proposed changes back to the players but the conversation is open.
“But we haven’t opened since yesterday (Sunday), but we are looking to engage further. We just wanted to give the 10bets South Africa and Bafana the spotlight it deserves. This (the press conference) is not about Banyana.”
@MihlaliBaleka