SAFA’s proposed bonus structure, reducing player earnings, sparks fresh controversy

The South African Football Association’s (SAFA) new proposed bonus structure will reportedly reduce the earnings of the women’s and men’s national team players.

Players will reportedly receive between 20% to 45% of tournament winnings, depending on their elimination stage.

A former SAFA CEO and researcher of sports governance, Dennis Mumble, said that bonuses have been a long-standing point of contention between the association and the national teams.

He explained that the problem lies in the administrative costs associated with supporting the national team, which are often at odds with the revenue generated from broadcasting fees.

“SAFA is handicapped in so many different ways. It faces a kind of quadruple challenge; one sits with a governance crisis right now, it sits with a financial crisis, there’s a reputational crisis, and all of these amount to a commercial crisis.

“You can’t get sufficient income knowing how the association is managed, the way it is governed, so the income will continue to be constrained.”

Mumble argued that SAFA needs to be more creative in increasing revenue, adding that its bloated executive committee of 48 members, among the largest in the world, continues to be a significant issue.

He noted that the perception that officials are more generous with their own benefits than those of the players is not entirely unfounded and has led to a toxic dynamic.

To listen to Mumble in conversation with 702’s John Perlman, use the audio player below: