S. Africa body buy Bafana trademark

The South African Football Association (Safa) will pay five million rand ($731,260/513,092 euros) to own the national team nickname, Bafana Bafana (The Boys), a statement said Friday. Safa bought the rights to the name from Stanton Woodrush, a sportswear company and owner of the Bafana Bafana trademark for 18 years after the football association did not register it. "We feel very happy about the acquisition of the Bafana Bafana name which allows us to exploit this great brand for the good of the game. "The future now looks very bright as this move has begun to open better opportunities for us to venture into real partnerships with various sponsors," said Safa president Kirsten Nematandani. Safa challenged Stanton Woodrush several times in court but lost. Media reports said the company initially wanted 41 million rand for the rights.