Orlando Pirates legend Jomo Sono has opened up on how much he earned when he coached the men’s national team.
Sono, now 70-years-old, has been in the game for a number of decades. First as a player then as a coach.
Sono enjoyed three separate spells with Bafana Bafana between 1998 and 2003. Now, he has revealed what his salary was at the time.
Orlando Pirates legend earned R50k at Bafana Bafana
According to Jomo Sono, SAFA offered him R50 000 per month to coach the national team. At the time, it was still ‘peanuts’.
“When I worked for SAFA as the Bafana Bafana coach, I earned R50,000. Even back then, it felt like peanuts, but there wasn’t much I could do about it,” the Orlando Pirates legend told KickOff.
“I didn’t even negotiate; they simply told me this is what I would earn. Fighting about it would have seemed like I was opposing million of people living in South Africa.”
According to Jomo Sono, he was being setup by the association.
“I was strategic. I didn’t argue because I knew it was a set-up. The world of football is full of such scenarios, and you need to tread carefully. If I had refused the money, there would have been rumors suggesting I didn’t want to help my country and that I was against the country.”
How much current coach earns
Fast forward over two decades later and current Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos earns a reported R1.5 million per month.
Broos took charge of Bafana back in May 2021 and has completely transformed the country’s football situation.
Broos has won the hearts of majority of Bafana Bafana fans. This includes Orlando Pirates legend Jomo Sono. Broos famously gifted the Jomo Cosmos owner his bronze Afcon medal as a token of appreciation.
