Reigning Women’s Africa Cup of Nations champions, South Africa’s Banyana Banyana, have refused to train in protest over unpaid allowances, throwing their WAFCON 2024 preparations into disarray.
The team arrived in Morocco on Wednesday ahead of the tournament set to kick off on July 5, 2025. However, tensions quickly escalated in camp over outstanding payments owed by the South African Football Association (SAFA).
According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the players boycotted their second training session on Friday, demanding immediate payment for unpaid allowances from the April and June preparatory camps.
Despite being addressed by Head of Delegation Thabile Msomi on Thursday, who assured them the issue had been escalated to SAFA President Danny Jordaan, the players remain unsatisfied.
A player, speaking anonymously due to fear of reprisal, revealed frustrations over the lack of communication from SAFA leadership:
“We’ve had no formal engagement with SAFA, either before or during camp. When we asked for a meeting with the CEO, we were told she was unavailable. The excuse for the CFO and COO was that they were exhausted from an NEC meeting.”
As the situation remains unresolved, the team’s participation in the upcoming tournament could be at risk if the financial dispute lingers.
