Ghana and Nigeria reap bonuses

Bonuses is a very sensitive issue amongst footballers especially when they are on international duty.

As the Africa Cup of Nations tournament entered the semi-final stage on Wednesday, it was also time for governments and federations to meet the promises they made to their teams for achieving particular targets.

The bonuses may be pocket change for some, considering what some of the players earn per week in Europe but it has always been an issue in the camps especially when it comes late or is unpaid.

But it seems players, especially from teams that made it to the quarter-finals, are smiling all the way to the bank.

Ghana players were paid US$ 35,000 (around Sh3.045m) each for reaching the semi-finals. The Black Stars beat Cape Verde 2-0 in the quarter-finals in Port Elizabeth and were last night scheduled to play Burkina Faso in the semis at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

Players happy
“The bonuses have been paid and you can see that is why the players are happy,” Ghana FA spokesperson Ibrahim Daara-Sannie confirmed at a press conference.

Ghana FA Executive Committee member Emmanuel Kyeremeh explained the mechanism for paying bonuses.

“The budget management submitted to the Ministry was approved and we also agreed the qualifying bonus with the players. We actually didn’t base it on matches,” Kyeremeh said. “If we had not qualified, then we were not going to pay any bonus.”

Nigeria’s Super Eagles whose performance in the past has been affected by unpaid allowances and bonuses has also paid the team for reaching the quarter finals but the players had been promised a further US$20,000 (Sh1.74m) if they reach the final, stated the Nigeria Football Federation.

Each member of the Nigerian team received US$15,000 (Sh1.3m) after beating Cote d’Ivoire in the quarters.

“The NFF is committed to the team’s welfare. It has the responsibility of making sure that the team is motivated to be at their best.

The team has been working hard to improve on its performance and Nigerians must be happy to see the greatness in them with the defeat of Cote d’Ivoire which was considered impossible before,’ NFF spokesman Demola Olajire as saying.

“If they reach the final by beating Mali on Wednesday, each of the players will receive US$20,000 (Sh1.7m). It is not the first time the NFF is showing such gesture. We did it when they moved to other stages of the championship and there is a provision for winning the title as well,” he said.

Every member of the Super Eagles also got US$5,000 for each of the two draws against Burkina Faso and Zambia and US$10,000 for beating Ethiopia to progress to the quarter-final stage. If the team wins the trophy, each player will receive US$25,000.

Mali, the other semi-finalist, have donated their bonuses to the country’s war effort against Al Qaeda.

Mali captain Seydou Keita said that his teammates and he had chosen to accept smaller bonuses than agreed before the tournament to help the war effort.

Hosts South Africa have already paid each Bafana Bafana player Sh11 million for reaching the quarter-finals. Bafana Bafana lost  on penalties to Mali.

Deposed champions Zambia, however, did not get a cent after they were eliminated from the first round.

The Zambia government had promised to pay each Zambian player $11,500 if they beat Burkina Faso in their last Africa Cup of Nations Group C match but the game ended in a one all draw which ensured Zambia were out of the competition.