Massive bonuses for WC glory
2006-06-05 22:04
Berlin - The members of the Spanish national team are the potential top earners in a tense competition for the World Cup's biggest bonus pay out, with each player promised a stunning 570 000 euros (about R4.9m) paycheck, if Spain takes the championship.
Even simple participation in the final, and then failing to win it, still guarantee each Spanish player (substitutes and bench warmers included) a solid 360 000 euros reward each, said officials from the Spanish Football Federation.
England's Football Association, although financed by the world's richest club system, the Premier League, is distinctly tighter on the purse strings than the Spaniards.
It is willing only to fork out a mere 430 000 euros a player lump sum, if the English manage a repeat of their 1966 World Cup success.
Germany has managed to avoid a repeat of the weeks of wrangling about bonuses during the 2002 campaign in Japan and South Korea.
The German Football Federation is firmly committed on paper to give Michael Ballack and company 300 000 euros a player, if the Germans come out on top.
Switzerland was in the same ball park, promising 350 0000 a player if it's a Swiss win.
More-creative payment plans
The traditionally football-mad nations of Portugal and Italy were a bit more moderate, dangling relatively modest financial carrots of 275 000 and 250 000 euros respectively, before their national team players.
Some countries have gone for more-creative payment plans, with the Czech Republic and Croatia intending to redistribute prize money promised by Fifa to the countries' football associations, in an 80:20 split between players and coaches.
The Kranjcar family - with father Zlatko coaching the Croatian national side and son Niko wearing a player uniform - would pile up a smooth 750 000 euros, if Croatia were to win the title.
Poland's players, on the other hand, enjoy a possibly unique insurance: if the side falls out of competition becuse of a poor referee call, the Polish Football Association leadership has promised to take "events out of control of the team" under consideration when deciding the size of World Cup bonuses.
Cars for the stars
Middle Eastern sides are, perhaps characteristically, using original combinations of cash and barter goods in an attempt to inspire their national teams to World Cup success.
Every Iranian player taking part in a World Cup win, for instance, will receive 50 000 euros and a Peugeot 206 car from a grateful Iran Football Association.
Saudia Arabia's footballers aren't even being offered money at all, with the Saudi Arabia Football Association (Saff) trying to tempt players with new houses or land.
Prince Fahad Bin Abdulaziz, the Saff chief, "would be extremely generous", said a spokesperson.
Some countries, for reasons best known to them, are keeping the precise details of World Cup bonuses a secret.
Ironing out past problems
"We have little problems and we have bigger problems, but that issue (World Cup bonus payments and size) we will handle internally," said Otto Pfister, the Togo coach.
Balakiyem Rock Gnassingbe, the Togo Football Federation (FTF) chief, reportedly will meet with Pfister later this week.
The aim is to, hopefully, avoid a repeat of the past, when the FTF promised players hefty incentive payments for other tournaments, and then reneged after the competition was over. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA