Jordaan angered by Tokyo 2020 bonus talk
South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan gave a tetchy response when asked on Saturday about bonuses to be paid to the men 's football team that have qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games.
Safa President Danny Jordaan addressing the media. Picture: BackpagePix
David Notoane’s side qualified for the competition by finishing third at the Caf Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, but rumours have already started flying that the players are not happy that they have yet to be paid bonuses for their achievement.
WATCH: SA Under-23s qualify for Tokyo 2020
Jordaan, however, speaking at the airport on the team’s return from Cairo, said that he would be discussing incentives with Notoane and Under-23 captain Tercious Malepe on Monday.
“I was asked, if they asked this (kind of) question to Siya Kolisi, when the rugby team arrived (after winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup, why are these questions reserved for football?” said the Safa president, apparently failing to realise that water-tight Springbok contracts mean there is never a need for such questions of the rugby team.
The situation around national football teams and bonuses always appears more murky, but even more bizarrely, Jordaan said that Saturday was no day to discuss business, as if we are not living in a modern society.
“I had a meeting with the coach and captain and we agreed that this arrival would be about celebrating the special achievement of the players and on Monday that they can come and talk about incentives, money and payments. No business discusses payments on a Saturday, unless you do it in your business.
“Let us not distract from the achievement of the players, they were in a tough group, with Cote D’Ivoire, Nigeria and Zambia, and they had to overcome Ghana (in the third-place play-off). These are not small achievements, and sometimes we underestimate them by diverting and introducing issues that have nothing to do with performance,” added Jordaan, another odd comment, given that the bonus payments are surely precisely to do with performance.
Notoane, meanwhile, gave his support to Jordaan.
“There is a bonus structure in place, I hope this makes you comfortable,” said the Under-23 coach.
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