JOHANNESBURG (AP) - The South African soccer team will still be known as Bafana Bafana _ for a price.
The country’s soccer federation says it has struck a $700,000 deal to keep the nickname. Friday’s announcement comes after some uncertainty. At one point, South African fans were asked to come up with a new name.
Bafana Bafana is an affectionate phrase roughly translated as “our boys.” It was patented by a local businessman in 1994.
In 2002, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed a claim by the soccer federation that it had any rights over Bafana Bafana. The federation says the name “resonates with fans both locally and internationally.”
The fee will be paid over a year.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) _ The South African soccer team will still be known as Bafana Bafana _ for a price.
The country’s soccer federation says it has struck a $700,000 deal to keep the nickname. Friday’s announcement comes after some uncertainty. At one point, South African fans were asked to come up with a new name.
Bafana Bafana is an affectionate phrase roughly translated as “our boys.” It was patented by a local businessman in 1994.
In 2002, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed a claim by the soccer federation that it had any rights over Bafana Bafana. The federation says the name “resonates with fans both locally and internationally.”
The fee will be paid over a year.
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