SAFA clears outstanding CHAN bonuses for Bafana Bafana players after months of delay

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has finally settled the overdue bonuses owed to the South Africa men’s national football team players for their participation in last year’s African Nations Championship (CHAN).

Each player was reportedly owed around R100,000 for representing the nation in the tournament, which was co-hosted by Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya last August.

“Yes, we have been paid,” one Bafana Bafana player confirmed to FarPost. “It took longer than expected, but we are grateful that the matter has now been resolved.”

The payments, reportedly completed last week, come after growing frustration from the players over the extended delays. The resolution brings closure to a lingering issue that had overshadowed the team’s efforts in last year’s competition.

Meanwhile, the future of the African Nations Championship has been officially altered. The tournament has been scrapped, replaced by a newly launched African Nations League starting next year. Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), explained the decision ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

“The first thing I was asked to do as CAF president was to kill the CHAN, and I wasn’t going to do that because some member associations that do not have the same resources and skills said, ‘Please keep it,’” Motsepe said. “I can tell you now, with this African Nations League, it will take the place of CHAN because there will be no more need for it.”

With CHAN now retired and the African Nations League on the horizon, South African players can finally turn their attention to new competitions while enjoying the satisfaction of having their long-awaited bonuses cleared.