BAFANA PLAYERS GONE MAD

DONT CLOSE THE DARWAJOH (DOOR)

By Uncle Bhai Gora

Finally i agree vit SAFA. Vat is gone wrong.Everytime ve have a big tournament. Da guys get hungry for money. Wat is da problemVy do dey alvays do this. What do the readers think. Are da players gone mad! Here article below from AOL.Im, still investigating.Vill add some more info later

The South African Football Association say they will not accede to "ridiculous" bonus demands from Bafana Bafana players as they head into the Fifa Confederations Cup.The players held meetings this week to discuss whether or not to accept Safa's offer of R90 000 per win in the group phase of the competition, which would add up to R650 000 if they win the eight-team tournament that will kick off on Sunday. It's been reported that some senior members of the side lobbied for as much as R180 000 per win but the majority of the squad were said on Tuesday night to be ready to accept Safa's offer.

Safa presented players this week with contracts stipulating they would earn R90 000 for a win in the group stages, half of that for a draw and nothing for a defeat.
'The bonus issue is not up for discussion'If the team reach the semi-finals they will be guaranteed R400 000 each while a place in the final would earn them a further R100 000.And if they win the final, they get an extra R150 000, taking their earnings to R650 000.Safa chief executive Raymond Hack reiterated on Tuesday that the bonus issue was "not up for discussion" although it was understood players had yet to hand in signed contracts to the Bafana administrators, as they were still lobbying for a better pay structure."We spoke about this and reached a conclusion some time ago and, as far as the association is concerned, the matter is closed," Hack said.He said he found it puzzling that the bonus issue was rearing its head again just before the start of the tournament.

'I thought we'd gone past this culture of springing financial demands'"I thought we'd gone past this culture of springing financial demands days before the tournament. That's why we addressed the matter some time ago."He would not confirm how much the association had offered but said the figures mentioned "are ridiculous" and warned that players should declare if they want to play for the national team or not."Anybody who doesn't want to play for the team should say so," said Hack.Meanwhile Steven Pienaar was a notable absentee as Bafana trained in freezing conditions at Milpark Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.The Everton midfielder was resting as he was recovering from a knee injury, although he should be fit enough to face Iraq in Bafana's opening match on Sunday at Ellis Park at 4pm.Bafana forward Terror Fanteni said his confidence was "high" after he scored the winning goal in the friendly against Poland at the weekend."It came at the right time for me. My confidence is high and I feel good going into the match on Sunday," Fanteni said.The Maccabi Haifa striker had been largely overlooked by coach Joel Santana in the last few matches but looks set to start alongside Bernard Parker in Bafana's attack. Veteran goalkeeper Brian Baloyi believes Bafana Bafana have more than a realistic chance of a semi-final place and said: "There is no reason we cannot get to the final. I have said it before that we can go all the way and we are determined to do just that."Baloyi has impressed the technical team after losing four kilograms during a hard four weeks in training camp"It has been a good camp so far. The spirit has been high and the players have responded."Baloyi said the 1-0 win over Poland had set the tone for Sunday's crunch clash against Iraq. The Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper said: "We are growing as a team and bonding as a group."That, to me, is a very important part of the preparation for such a big event. Beating Poland was a great team effort not just from the players but the technical staff as well."Baloyi said that Bafana were ready to rise to the occasion."As players we know that this is a once in a lifetime chance for us to shine. Few of us will get this chance again and we aim to make the most of it."Baloyi said it was also important for the players to succeed in the Confederations Cup in order to set up a platform to build on ahead of the 2010 World Cup finals.At 35, Baloyi was selected for Santana's final 23-man squad because of his ability to raise team morale and dedication. Santana is likely to go with Kaizer Chiefs youngster Itumeleng Khune who turns 22 on June 20 - the day Bafana meet Spain in the third and final Group A fixture.

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