South Africa: Safa Plays Blame Game As It Wages War On Players' Union in Banyana Debacle

Banyana Banyana (file photo).
analysis

The South African Footballers' Union was the recipient of a salvo from the South African Football Association for its perceived part in Banyana's Banyana's standoff with the custodian of the country's soccer.

The South African Football Association (Safa) released a strongly worded communique on Monday night denouncing the South African Footballers' Union (Safpu) for its role in Banyana Banyana's pre-World Cup debacle.

As it stands, a resolution is yet to be agreed upon between the players of South Africa's senior women's side and Safa - with a number of issues raised by the players.

This is despite the fact that the team is scheduled to depart for their World Cup base in New Zealand in two groups on Wednesday and Thursday.

As it stands, all affected parties are still trying to find common ground. However, instead of providing an update on the discussions, Safa broke its silence on the matter with a statement that cast doubt on the legitimacy of Safpu as an organisation.

This is despite the association acknowledging in the same communique that Safpu is affiliated with the globally recognised players' union, Fifpro.

Nevertheless, Safa took the opportunity to remind the organisation that: "These players have been nurtured and developed through Safa structures. We have produced these teams through our development and investment. And we are proud of their achievements. Fifa, in a Fifa Congress, recognised the progress of...

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