CAF Secures $10m From FIFA For African WC Teams

An initiative by the new leadership of CAF has secured $10 million advance payment from FIFA to help the five African countries playing at the World Cup in June.

FIFA will give five countries a $2 million advance each on World Cup prize money to pay player bonuses before the tournament in Russia after an approach by the Ahmad Ahmad led body.

This means each African side will have $4m to prepare for the World Cup and give the players the sound mind to concentrate on the competition.

Five months ago, Ahmad set up a committee, led by his deputy Kwesi Nyantakyi, to examine ways African countries can avert problems that bedevil their participation at the World Cup.

The committee came up with ways of addressing problems of African sides at the global tournament with financial advance payments as one of the key recommendations to stop bonus rows.

Ahmad led CAF to make an appeal to FIFA to make advance payments to the African countries so that players can be paid ahead of the tournament to ensure they focus on the competition.

FIFA has now agreed for Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia to be paid $10m in advance to help “settle beforehand the question of bonuses,” says CAF.

This comes as a massive boost for the countries representing the continent at the tournament in Russia after the bold move by the new leader of CAF Ahmad Ahmad.

The timely financial boost from FIFA adds to the $2.5m grant CAF will give the five countries representing the continent – the first time CAF is supporting its sides at the World Cup.

The 32 federations sending teams to the World Cup get $1.5 million each from FIFA to prepare, plus at least $8 million in prize money after the tournament.

The winner of the World Cup gets $38 million.