Cash, houses and honours are being bestowed on footballers from Ivory Coast and Nigeria, following the captivating Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday.
Ivory Coast’s winning squad will each receive $82,000 (£65,000) and a villa worth a similar amount, as announced by the presidency. President Alassane Ouattara congratulated the team, saying “You have brought happiness to all Ivorians, bravo, bravo.”
Nigeria’s squad, despite their 2-1 loss in the final, received a heroes’ welcome. President Bola Tinubu has rewarded each member of the team with one of the country’s highest honours – the Member of the Order of the Niger, as well as an apartment and a piece of land near the capital, Abuja.
Third-placed South Africa also are also set to receive about $52,000 per player, according to local media reports.
In addition to these rewards, all teams also receive prize money from the Africa Cup of Nations. This year’s tournament saw a 40% increase in the prize money, with winners Ivory Coast receiving $7m, runners-up Nigeria receiving $4m, and semi-finalists South Africa and DR Congo each receiving $2.5m. The four teams who made the quarter-finals will take home $1.3m each.
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations attracted the highest viewing numbers in its 67-year history, with almost two billion people watching worldwide. This increase in popularity has led to hopes that African teams will be given more starting slots at future World Cups.
In the past, African national teams have complained about not receiving their salaries and bonuses. The Cameroon side, which won global admiration for their performance in the 1990 World Cup, had to wait over 30 years to receive houses they were promised, by which time their captain had died. Additionally, at last year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup, South African footballers won a pay dispute after sitting out a match in protest, which led to the hastily assembled substitutes including a 13-year-old girl.
Source: BBC Africa
