SAFA | Portia Modise exposed SAFA for mistreating and abusing her.
- Soccer-South Africa
NMMABUNDA
- 7 minutes read
Banyana retired Portia Modise, a Banyana football player, has stunned the public by sharing a terrible story about her experience on the national squad.
She addressed yesterday at the Ria Ledwaba Press Conference at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Killarney, highlighting how women in soccer are not treated equally to their male colleagues.
Modise chastised the South African Football Association (SAFA) for not doing enough to promote women’s equality and equal pay.
She spoke at the Ria Ledwaba Press conference at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Killarney yesterday and highlighted how women in soccer don’t get equal treatment as their male counterparts.
Modise blasted the South African Football Association (SAFA) for not doing enough to promote gender equality and equal pay.
While living in a shack, the former national women’s team player said she was paid R400 to R3500 per month and was acclaimed globally despite living in a shack.
She said “They used me, singing that National anthem, scoring those goals. You know I have 15 years in my career playing footbal, 15 , probably there’s a university that needs to give me, what do u call it? doctrine … I listen to Doc [Doctor Khumalo] speak and I also wish I could speak the same about the women [in football] because we do have those women but they were hidden.”
“We didn’t know about them. We still have those women(players) that are powerful but no one speaks about them. We have players that players role, played overseas but no one talks about them, no one talks about our achievements,” said Modise.
“I remember when my president (Dan) give me the golden boot, they made me retire because i’m a strong women. I’m like sister Ria in very strong, that’s why i will fight with her because i was strong while i was still very young. I remember when they made me retire because i was very vocal. We need gander quality, we need to be paid the same.
“I’m getting R400 i’m playing for national team, i’m getting R3500 for my game, i don’t even have a signing on fee coming to the camp but Doc (Doctor Khumalo) will tell you that we’re having R50 000, where?. R50 000 that time i’m living in a shack. Scoring those goals and being a top goal scorers in Africa but i’m living in the shack, no one cares. the only thing that they wanna see is me coming to that national team then end of the day they abused me because i don’t even have a freedom. I’m being suppressed, this is me wanting to play football and sometimes i have to sacrifice my self because i really wanna play. Modise concluded
Portia Modise also urged SAFA to pay attention to gender equality, particularly in soccer, and to reward players fairly.
She said she was getting R400 while also playing for the national team. and that she was only paid R3500 for a game and did not get a signing on fee, despite the fact that other players [male players] told her they were paid R50 000.
