The FIFA Club Benefits Programme is set to award over $500,000 to five Ghanaian clubs as recognition for their players’ participation in the Black Stars squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has received a sum of $565,772.42 from FIFA, which will be distributed among the beneficiary clubs.
Asante Kotoko, Hearts of Oak, King Faisal, Dreams Football Club, and Steadfast Football Club are the fortunate recipients of this programme.
Among them, Hearts of Oak received the highest amount of $219,008.70, while Kotoko was paid $200,757.97.
Steadfast received $109,504.72, whereas Dreams and King Faisal each received $18,250.72.
During the World Cup, Ghana’s squad included two players from the Ghana Premier League: Danlad Ibrahim (representing Kotoko) and Daniel Afriyie-Barnieh (representing Hearts).
Additionally, King Faisal, Steadfast, and Dreams qualified for the rewards by having players who participated in the Black Stars’ qualifying matches for the World Cup.
Under the Club Benefits Programme, each of the 837 footballers is eligible to receive a daily amount of $10,950, regardless of the minutes they played during the tournament.
Ghana remained in the competition until the end of the group phase.
The FIFA Club Benefits Programme is an initiative aimed at acknowledging the contribution of football clubs during the World Cup periods.
It provides financial rewards to clubs based on the proceeds generated from the tournament, with distribution facilitated through member associations to clubs that made their players available for their national teams.
This programme was first introduced ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and will see a total of $209 million being distributed to clubs worldwide for their player contributions to the Qatar 2022 edition.
A similar amount was awarded following the 2018 World Cup in Russia, while the benefits for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil amounted to $70 million—an increase from the $40 million allocated for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
SOURCE: GRAPHIC ONLINE
