FIFA will pay an advance fee of $2 million in prize money to each of the five African teams that have qualified for the World Cup to help them prepare for the tournament, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said.
Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia would be flying the continent’s flag at the football mundial in Russia.
CAF president Ahmad Ahmad in a statement said that the money would be used to settle beforehand the question of bonuses due the players.
He added that disputes over payments at previous tournaments had led to situations that affected badly the image of African football, with a considerable impact on team performances.
It could be recalled that the Super Eagles were involved in a protracted dispute ahead of the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil and a bonus row also disrupted their World Cup campaign in 2014. Similar problems have affected other African teams.
Last year, Nigeria’s Football Federation (NFF) signed an agreement with its players pledging to avoid the bonus and pay rows that have blighted past World Cup campaigns.
The 32 teams taking part in the June-July tournament would receive $1.5 million each from FIFA in the form of a preparation fee and are guaranteed a minimum of $8 million more in prize money after the tournament ends.
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