The South African Football Association (SAFA) has offered a Ten Million Rand (R10m, $630,000, ₦261m) reward to the Bayana Bayana if they win the upcoming 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON).
The President of the South African FA Dr Danny Jordaan revealed the generous bonus on Tuesday as the Bayana Bayana departed for the tournament to be held in Morocco.
The South African women's team will have to do one better than their runners-up position from the last edition of the tournament when they lost the final to Nigeria's Super Falcons on penalties.
SAFA offer Banyana Banyana highest-ever reward for AWCON
SAFA made the announcement on their official website on Tuesday, confirming that R800,000 will be used to cover the team's expenses during the tournament while the outstanding R9.2m will be paid to the team if they win the tournament.
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The post read: “We are going to pay R9,2 million in bonuses for this team on the basis that they win the Awcon.
“So if they win Awcon we will pay R9,2m. If you look at the other costs, in other words our total investment in this team for specifically this Awcon, it is R10 million."
We are committed to Banyana Banyana - SAFA President
The South African FA is fully backing the Bayana Bayana as the women's team goes in search of their first continental title since its inception in 1991.
The R10m offered by SAFA is also the highest amount of reward ever offered to a South African national team, with the country's last senior continental triumph coming through the men's national team in 1996.
“This is our commitment and confidence in Banyana Banyana. This R10 million is the highest amount ever paid to any national team, men and women," Dr Jordaan said.
"So you have broken the barriers. You will have the highest amount ever paid to any national team in the history of South African football. We want you to continue to break barriers and transform South African football.”
Banyana Banyana unlucky record in AWCON
The Bayana Bayana have made it to the final of the AWCON on five (5) different occasions (1995, 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2018) but have never won the title.
They lost three of the five finals to the Super Falcons (1995, 2000, and 2018) and lost out to Equatorial Guinea in the other two (2008 and 2012).
The Bayana Bayana narrowly lost the 2018 final to the Super Falcons after playing the first goalless final in AWCON history only to lose 4-3 on penalties at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana.