South African women football players are determined to participate in the Women’s World Cup despite previous disputes over pay for players and support staff. The team captain, Refiloe Jane, assured fans that all disagreements with the South African federation had been resolved before the tournament’s commencement. These disputes included the fulfillment of FIFA’s promise to provide $30,000 to each player.

Earlier, the national team had refused to play a warm-up match against Botswana in protest against the exclusion of the $30,000 group payment from their contracts and concerns about the stadium’s condition. However, the pay dispute was ultimately resolved when Patrice Motsepe, president of the African Football Confederation and the continent’s first Black billionaire, agreed to contribute $320,000 to be distributed equally among the World Cup players.

Furthermore, the South African Football Players Union negotiated a deal that would also financially benefit the backroom and technical staff. Although there were conflicting statements from the South African Football Association regarding support staff salaries, the players were relieved that the disputes were put behind them. Their main focus is now on representing their nation and giving their best in the upcoming matches during the tournament.