BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Manchester City may have made the most from the FIFA payments to clubs whose players were selected for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, 18 African clubs were also beneficiaries although there total take home was below that of the Premier League champions.
No Nigeria club is benefiting as none had players in the World Cup. Even if Nigeria had qualified, it is doubtful if any Nigerian club will benefit from the FIFA Club Benefits Programme (CBP). as there is an apparent rule that the all the national team players must be sourced from abroad, giving all the benefits of the Club Benefits Programme to already financially solvent foreign clubs.
Ghana, for instance, at the World Cup accrued benefits to five of their clubs as they share over a half million dollars. The beneficiaries are: Asante Kotoko ($200, 757.97), Hearts of Oak ($219, 008.70), Dreams FC ($18, 250.72), King Fasail ($18, 250.72) and Steadfast FC ($109,504.35).
The benefit is even higher for Egypt, despite not being at the World Cup. Players supplied by the duo of Ahly and Zamalek have attracted great fortunes to them.
Ahly has $420,679.21 while Zamalek will get $229,959.3 making a total of $650, 638.24 for Egyptian duo.
It is even more staggering for two Moroccan Casablanca clubs of Raja and Wydad. In between them is a pot of $1,437,244. 58. Wydad has the bigger share of $1,405,305. 81 the biggest amount by any African club.