FIFA to pay World Cup prize money directly to players

<p>World football body FIFA has announced its plan to pay prize money directly into the players’ accounts of the winners of the ongoing women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand.</p>, <p>FIFA Secretary-General, Fatma Samoura, confirmed this in a viral video on social media saying the policy change is due to unpaid allowance issues involving Nigeria’s Super Falcons.</p>, <p>The Falcons head coach, Randy Waldrum, had earlier revealed that some players were owed “per diem and bonuses” from two years ago.</p>, <p>The development caused a stir and almost affected the preparation of the Super Falcon players with most of them insisting on missing the training to protest their unpaid bonuses.</p>, <p>However, in the video, Samoura acknowledged that “things have been tough” for the Falcons.</p>, <p>She added that FIFA for the first time would monitor that match bonuses got to the players directly.</p>, <p>“I know that things have been tough. We have to face the realities of Nigeria. It pains me a lot. It is because of you (the Super Falcons) that, for the first time, the prize money has been ring-fenced in the history of FIFA to ensure that it goes to you,” the FIFA secretary-general said.</p>, <p>FIFA had announced that every player participating in the World Cup group stage would earn $30,000.</p>, <p>The match bonuses will increase to $60,000 in the second round of the competition.</p>