A delegation from FIFPRO and Division Africa enjoyed a constructive visit to the player unions of South Africa and Angola last week.
The aim of the meetings was to understand the challenges both player associations are facing on the ground and the current dynamics with their respective domestic stakeholders in order to provide tailored support.
FIFPRO Africa Secretary General Kgosana Masaseng, along with Benjamin van den Broek (FIFPRO’s Director of Union and Player Relations) and Loïc Alves (FIFPRO’s Senior Legal Counsel), met with South African player union SAFPU and the Premier Soccer League and were encouraged by their current cooperation and future development prospects, which is guided by the existence of a collective bargaining agreement.
The FIFPRO delegation and SAFPU also met with the South African Football Association (SAFA) to address pressing concerns such as player access to justice, including the long waiting times to get a decision by the federation's appeal body, as well as the development of women’s football – particularly its professionalisation and the inequality in conditions of the men’s and women’s national teams.
"It was encouraging to see SAFPU’s fruitful collaborations with football stakeholders in South Africa, particularly with the league," said Masaseng. "That dialogue and continued cooperation is vital when it comes to ensuring the voice of the players is heard."
The visit also provided an opportunity to network with South Africa’s rugby bodies to share best practice and explore commercial opportunities. The delegation met with the South African Rugby Players' Association (SARPA) – also known as MyPlayers – as well as the South African Rugby Union (SARU) and South African Rugby Employers Organisation (SAREO).
New federation president, new opportunities for players in Angola
The delegation soon turned their attention to Angola, where they met with the country’s player union, league officials and new Angolan Football Association (FAF) President Fernando Alves Simoes, who assumed the role on 30 November 2024 after running a programme of professionalising the Angolan domestic league.
Issues such as unpaid salaries and forged documentation had affected players under the previous regime, but Masaseng was encouraged by the “positive meeting” with the federation, and their commitment to cooperate with the player union to advance the working rights of footballers in the country through modern and revised legal frameworks and mechanisms.
"An immediate undertaking by the new president is to readmit the players’ union to the general assembly, the highest decision-making body," said Masaseng.
