Thembi Kgatlana has appealed for more financial incentives to ensure Banyana Banyana are motivated to attain podium success at international tournaments.
Desiree Ellis' team were rewarded with R2.4 million for their efforts at the African Women's Cup of Nations (Awcon), where they finished second behind eventual champions Nigeria at Ghana 2018.
This is in contrast with two-time African finalists Bafana Bafana that reportedly earns as much as 10 times more than Banyana Banyana who have reached the finals four times.
Having fallen to the Super Falcons that got 20,000 dollars each for the title triumph, the 24-year-old striker believes more remuneration will further inspire them to challenge for glory.
“Yes‚ I might want to win gold‚ and a few players might want to win gold‚ and we put in the hard work‚” Kgatlana was quoted by South African online newspaper Herald.
“But that’s not the end of it. Getting to a gold is a collective effort. It’s the technical team working with the players‚ and a player with the technical team‚ like a well-oiled machine.
"We are slowly getting there. You could see in the 2018 Afcon that we had a will to beat whoever was standing in our way.
"If we can still have the same will‚ yet with a few things being given to us‚ or a few things being handed to us in camp so that we can focus on the gold‚ I think that’s going to push Banyana to a new level.
“One thing I realised‚ I think‚ with the victories of Nigeria is that every time they get to play South Africa in an Afcon‚ or wherever‚ they get incentives on top of what they are getting.
Goal Nigeria
Kgatlana scored in all group stage matches for Banyana, including the winner against Nigeria, to finish as the tournament's top scorer with five goals and secured the Player of the Tournament award.
The 2018 African Women's Footballer of the Year, whose strike against Mali sent Banyana to a first-ever Women's World Cup insists anything is achievable for her side with more motivation.
“And I think as women’s footballers that’s what we yearn for, especially in African football‚ we don’t get a lot of money from the national team.
"So if somebody comes to me and says‚ ‘If you win gold you get an incentive of however many thousands of Rands’‚ I mean‚ that’s motivating enough.
“At the end of the day, we are not playing for money. But if I know that if I get a goal it’s going to benefit me‚ and financial gains are also going to benefit my family.
“So we need sponsors to make sure they are going to help the federation to get the girls the things they need to equip themselves to make sure they become better athletes.”
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