Bafana Bafana’s R5m World Cup Deal Did Not Go to Plan, but Gayton Has a New Promise

• Bafana Bafana's World Cup journey ended before Gayton McKenzie's earlier win-based incentive could grow as planned
• Gayton McKenzie says the players' historic World Cup campaign lifted the nation and still deserves special recognition
• The Sports Minister has now promised another reward for Bafana Bafana, but one important detail remains unclear

Bafana Bafana's R5 million World Cup deal did not go to plan, but Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has made a new promise to the players. The earlier incentive was linked to match wins, and South Africa's defeat to Canada ended their historic campaign before the rewards could climb further.

Now, McKenzie says Bafana must still receive a performance bonus after their history-making FIFA World Cup run. Speaking at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday, 2 July, McKenzie said discussions over a bonus for the players were already under way.

SABC News quoted the Sports Minister as saying:

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“This team must get the bonus. We've been discussing that. I'm going to go see what is there.”

McKenzie said Bafana Bafana's performance had lifted the country's mood and deserved recognition. He added:

“These boys have lifted the national mood. We were all happy. We are still happy. We must show them our appreciation. South Africans want that.”

McKenzie did not announce the value of the proposed performance bonus.

What happened to Bafana Bafana's R5 million World Cup deal?

The latest promise follows McKenzie's earlier R5 million-per-win incentive. On 26 June, McKenzie told Bafana Bafana players they would receive R5 million for each World Cup victory from their win over South Korea onwards.

McKenzie told the team:

“I am committing to you guys, for every game that we win, we will give you R5 million.”

He said a victory over Canada would take the reward to R10 million, while another win after that could push it to R15 million.

However, Bafana lost 1-0 to Canada in the Round of 32 on Sunday, 28 June. The result ended their World Cup campaign and meant the escalating win incentive could not continue.

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Bafana Bafana's historic World Cup run earns praise

Bafana Bafana still returned home having made history by reaching the FIFA World Cup knockout stages for the first time. This was after South Africa finished second in their group and qualified automatically for the Round of 32.

Large crowds welcomed the team at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday morning, with supporters gathering before the squad's scheduled 5am arrival.

The value and structure of the new performance bonus are now the outstanding details after McKenzie promised the players recognition for their historic campaign.

Gayton McKenzie compares Bafana Bafana with football giants

Briefly News also reported that Gayton McKenzie made a bold comparison after Bafana Bafana returned home from their historic FIFA World Cup campaign. The Sports Minister placed South Africa in the same conversation as Germany and the Netherlands after the national team reached the knockout stages for the first time.

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McKenzie also explained why he believes the current Bafana squad can go even further, pointing to the team's young stars and leadership as signs of what could come next.

Source: Briefly News