SAFA CEO breaks silence on Banyana boycott: 'We handled it to the best of our ability'

South African Football Association CEO Lydia Monyepao finally addressed the media in the aftermath of Banyana Banyana's refusal to play Botswana in an international friendly at Tsakane Stadium on Sunday.

Banyana’s 26-player World Cup squad was resolute in their refusal to play against the neighbouring nation, which has been the catalyst for profound discourse.

The players’ grievances were as follows: the players felt they needed better opposition than Botswana in preparation for the World Cup; they wanted a match venue that had hosted matches during the 2010 World Cup; the sub-standard condition of the pitch at Tsakane Stadium outside Johannesburg; and SAFA's failure to honour contractual and financial agreements.

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None of the players in the World Cup-bound squad announced by head coach Desiree Ellis last week participated in the painful 5-0 defeat suffered by a makeshift Banyana team against Botswana on Sunday.

“We handled the situation to the best of our ability,” Monyepao told reporters at the unveiling of 10bet and Bafana Bafana’s new sponsor partnership.

Monyepao, appointed as SAFA CEO in May, has herself donned the colours of Banyana and wore the captain’s armband during her playing career.

She has previously served as the team's liaison officer during the 2010 Women's AFCON and was also team manager for two years (2012-2014).

She then shifted into a seven-year role as TuksSports deputy director at the University of Pretoria and, before her appointment as SAFA CEO, was the association's chief operations officer.

“I have to understand where they're coming from, and I also have to understand where the association is,” Manyepao