Nigeria announce Nations Cup bonus

LAGOS – Nigeria have promised each player 49 000 dollars should the Super Eagles go all the way and win the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana, officials have announced.

A breakdown of the bonus shows that each player will get 3 000 US dollars for appearing at next year’s tournament, which kicks off January 20 in Accra. Qualification to the quarter-final from a tough first round group that includes Ivory Coast, Mali and Benin will earn a player 15 000 dollars while victory at this stage of the competition will be rewarded with 7 000 dollars.Should the Super Eagles reach the final of the tournament they will each get 9 000 dollars while an additional 15 000 dollars will be paid each player if the team win their third Nations Cup trophy.Officials of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) led by chairman Sani Lulu met with several of the country’s top stars including skipper Nwankwo Kanu and Joseph Yobo in England over the weekend to discuss a bonus scheme for the team at the Nations Cup.A code of conduct, which is aimed at helping reduce friction between the authorities and players in the national teams, was also discussed at this meeting.Nigerian officials and players have often rowed over money.Players accuse officials of short-changing them and falling back on monetary promises while officials argue that the players are greedy and not willing to make sacrifices for the team.Meanwhile, coach Berti Vogts is expected to arrive in Nigeria on Saturday before announcing a 23-man Nations Cup squad.Nampa-AFPQualification to the quarter-final from a tough first round group that includes Ivory Coast, Mali and Benin will earn a player 15 000 dollars while victory at this stage of the competition will be rewarded with 7 000 dollars.Should the Super Eagles reach the final of the tournament they will each get 9 000 dollars while an additional 15 000 dollars will be paid each player if the team win their third Nations Cup trophy.Officials of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) led by chairman Sani Lulu met with several of the country’s top stars including skipper Nwankwo Kanu and Joseph Yobo in England over the weekend to discuss a bonus scheme for the team at the Nations Cup.A code of conduct, which is aimed at helping reduce friction between the authorities and players in the national teams, was also discussed at this meeting.Nigerian officials and players have often rowed over money.Players accuse officials of short-changing them and falling back on monetary promises while officials argue that the players are greedy and not willing to make sacrifices for the team.Meanwhile, coach Berti Vogts is expected to arrive in Nigeria on Saturday before announcing a 23-man Nations Cup squad.Nampa-AFP