WATCH | Banyana captain Jane on equal pay: ‘We hope things will change’

25 July 2022 - 14:27 By Marc Strydom
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Banyana Banyana captain Refiloe Jane (centre front) and vice captains Andile Dlamini (front left) and Janine van Wyk (front right) lift the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations trophy after SA's final win against Morocco at Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, Morocco on July 23 2022.
Banyana Banyana captain Refiloe Jane (centre front) and vice captains Andile Dlamini (front left) and Janine van Wyk (front right) lift the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations trophy after SA's final win against Morocco at Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, Morocco on July 23 2022.
Image: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

Banyana Banyana captain Refiloe Jane says the team hopes winning the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) can speed the process of equal pay for the women's national team.

Banyana take home R9.2m — R400,000 per player, which was the incentive offered by the SA Football Association (Safa) for winning the Wafcon — after their heroic 2-1 final victory against hosts Morocco in Rabat on Saturday night.

But the side continue to be paid less than Bafana Bafana, despite Banyana far outperforming the men’s national team, who battled to qualify for nations cups in the past two decades.

“All these years we've been pushing and fighting for change and you can also see the strides women's football has been taking,” Jane told the SA Football Journalists' Association after the final where Banyana silenced a packed Stade Prince Moulay.

“And also the successes for the clubs and for the national team. So we kept on doing our job and hoping we can get the recognition we deserve. And also hoping with this win that things are going to change back home with regards to women's football.”

Jane said having three strong captains in the squad — Janine van Wyk, goalkeeper Andile Dlamini and Jane lifted the trophy together — was part of the reason for SA’s success in Morocco.

Asked if she could have imagined becoming the first Banyana captain to lift the Nations Cup trophy and starring for AC Milan, the classy central midfielder said: “I would like to say yes.

“When I got my first call-up I knew that one day I would get to this point. I'm very grateful and humble for the opportunities I have received throughout the years in the Banyana set-up.

“And being the leader today is from a combination of hard work, sacrifice, and we don't disregard the hard work other people have put forward.

“Having different leaders in the team meant a lot. It's not a one-man show. And I think you saw too when we went to lift the trophy there was three of us as captains.

“So it's a collective effort, not a one-man show.”

Jane said the Wafcon victory means she can relax to some extent in her club career, but it also adds pressure at Italian giants Milan.

“I think I will keep on growing. I can relax after this, though now there's also more pressure to keep delivering.”

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