Ivory Coast’s football team has been rewarded with millions of dollars in prizes by the country’s government for winning the Africa Cup of Nations.
[contextly_sidebar id=”DlWqt2MVGcHdlQbAPeopzA7ZiUuNxpGH”]Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara is giving each member of the 23-man squad a house worth $52,000 (£34,000) and the same amount in cash, the government says.
The team beat Ghana’s Black Stars 9-8 on penalties in the tournament’s final in Equatorial Guinea.
There were also six-figure rewards for the Ivorian Football Federation and the team’s technical staff – in total the government has shelled out more than $3m (£2m) in celebration of the victory.
It wasn’t a total loss for Ghana’s team, despite their penalty defeat. Each player is being given $25,000 (£16,000) by the team’s sponsor, the state-owned Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), a figure that the country’s sports minister thinks is a little low.
Mahama Ayariga says thebottle-throwing endured by players during their semi-final victory over Equatorial Guinea in Malabo means they deserve their reward.
“For those who think that GNPC rewarding the boys with $25,000 is too generous, I wish they were in the stadium” in Malabo, he’s quoted as saying in Nigeria’s Daily Post. “Then they will know whether $25,000 is worth that kind of experience. I don’t even think it is enough.”
Source: BBC