$475k windfall for Zifa

LIBREVILLE — ZIFA are set to get $475 000 from CAF for the Warriors’ performance at the 2017 Nations Cup finals.

The Warriors were eliminated from the competition after finishing bottom of the group.

The four teams finishing bottom of their groups — Guinea-Bissau, Zimbabwe, Togo and Uganda — will each receive $475 000 which is an increment of 18 percent.

The Afcon semi-finalists are guaranteed $1,5 million each in prize money for the first time following the signing of a sponsorship deal with French petroleum group Total last year.

The new endorsement with the oil giant is for the next eight years, with the winners on Sunday getting $4 million as part of a package that totals $16,4 million.

Besides the pride of chasing down the trophy, Ghana, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Egypt all have at least $1,5 million in prize money from CAF.

For the first time the continental mother body will reward the two losing semi-finalists $1,5 million each — twice what they paid at the last tournament two years ago.

The losing finalist will get $2 million — which is also double what the runners-up were paid before.

With the winners getting $4 million this year, it is an increase of 166 percent from the $1,5 million that the previous winners pocketed from CAF.

The four losing quarter-finalists this year — Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal and DRC — each got US$800 000 which breaks down to a 33,33 percent increment.

For the four teams that finished in third place in their groups — Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria and Gabon — they were each given $575 000 up from $500 000.

Money issues characterise many African teams’ preparations for this tournament which now pays very well by continental standards.

Local associations and governments usually further reward their national teams if they win this trophy.