Speaking at a press conference, team captain Refiloe Jane assured fans back home that the women were fully focused on their upcoming matches. She also confirmed that all disputes with the South African federation had been resolved before the tournament began, including the $30,000 guaranteed to each player by FIFA.

South African women's football team. Photo: theguardian.com

"All the contractual disputes that we had were resolved. We came to New Zealand having resolved all our issues. And when we left South Africa, we assured the nation that everything was in order. So coming into this tournament, our focus was solely on football," she stressed.

Earlier this month, the majority of the South African squad skipped a warm-up match against Botswana in protest at a $30,000 payment to a FIFA group that was not included in their contract, alongside concerns about the state of the stadium they were due to play in.

The South African Football Association had to assemble a team of local club players, the squad included a 13-year-old player and lost 5–0 to Botswana.

The pay dispute ended when the president of the Confederation of African Football and the continent's first black billionaire, Patrice Motsepe, agreed to contribute $320,000 to the "Banyana Banyana" girls' team to be divided equally among the players attending the World Cup.

At the same press conference announcing the Motsepe Foundation donation, the South African Footballers' Union noted that it had also negotiated a financially beneficial deal for technical and backroom staff.

Last week, after "Banyana Banyana" arrived in New Zealand, the South African Football Association (SAFA) made statements that contradicted the players' union's previous statement on support staff salaries.

Captain Jane said the decision to move past the dispute was hugely important to the players. "It gives us time to focus on what's really important, which is playing football for our country and representing our country," she said.

VNA

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