Precious Moloi-Motsepe had to answer an awkward question on why the Motsepe Foundation assisted Banyana Banyana with a donation and did not do the same for the other three nations representing the continent at the Women's World Cup.
The foundation of Moloi-Motsepe and her husband, Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Patrice Motsepe, stepped in to resolve a contractual crisis between the South African Football Association (Safa) and Banyana on the eve of the team's departure for the Fifa tournament in New Zealand and Australia.
The billionaire mining boss's generous gesture saw each player receiving R230,000 to add to the R560,000 appearance fee paid by Fifa for the July 20 to August 20 World Cup.
But when the donation was confirmed at a press conference in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Wednesday, a question was asked about whether Nigeria, Zambia and Morocco should get the same assistance from the foundation, given Motsepe's position at the helm of the continent's ruling body.
What about other African teams? Moloi-Motsepe fields awkward question
Image: Lee Warren/Gallo Images
Precious Moloi-Motsepe had to answer an awkward question on why the Motsepe Foundation assisted Banyana Banyana with a donation and did not do the same for the other three nations representing the continent at the Women's World Cup.
The foundation of Moloi-Motsepe and her husband, Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Patrice Motsepe, stepped in to resolve a contractual crisis between the South African Football Association (Safa) and Banyana on the eve of the team's departure for the Fifa tournament in New Zealand and Australia.
The billionaire mining boss's generous gesture saw each player receiving R230,000 to add to the R560,000 appearance fee paid by Fifa for the July 20 to August 20 World Cup.
But when the donation was confirmed at a press conference in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Wednesday, a question was asked about whether Nigeria, Zambia and Morocco should get the same assistance from the foundation, given Motsepe's position at the helm of the continent's ruling body.
“On the questions about the gifts to other people on the continent, the Motsepe Foundation has been involved in sports for a very long time, even before the gentleman [Patrice Motsepe] who is now Caf president took over,” Moloi-Motsepe responded.
“We support school football and we have about 11,000 schools who participate in our football school competition. We have about 4,000 schools that participate in netball, which is also targeting young children. In terms of development of sports at grassroots, we have been really involved.
“On the continent, we recently made a big commitment to develop football at school level and this includes boys and girls.”
Moloi-Motsepe did not disclose the amount given to Safa to help Banyana, but it is believed to be R6m. She said financial intervention by the foundation aimed to resolve a crisis specific to Banyana.
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“I believe this was really a gesture to get the team to leave [for the World Cup] because there was a gap that seemed to hinder the discussions and negotiations.
“So it's not the amount that I'm here to talk about, really, it's about coming in to assist and to make sure that the team travel and focus on this task at hand.
“We all know how important the issues of mental health and focus are in playing the game with a mind that's clear. I think that's important.”
The first group of Banyana players departed from Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday evening. The second leaves on Thursday.
They meet Costa Rica in a final warm-up game in Christchurch, New Zealand, on July 15, then open their World Cup group G campaign against Sweden in Wellington on July 23.
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