FIFA World Cup Largess: Why Super Falcons Got $40, 500, Instead Of $60,000

FIFA World Cup Largess: Why Super Falcons Got $40, 500, Instead Of $60,000

Sampson Adedeji

Nigeria's Super Falcons who represented the country in the 2023 FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand have started getting their largess from the World Soccer governing body, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Just the before the competition, FIFA announced that each player participating in the Mundial will get $30, 000 for group matches and get more as they progress in the competition.

The Nigerian side is entitled to $60,000 because they lost out in the second round of the tournament to England.

The football body has started paying the money but to the surprise of the players, they got $40,500 instead of the proposed $60,000.

The matter has finally been clarified by FIFA on why the money dropped to $40,500.

Players whose teams were based in Australia for the duration of the tournament are receiving just over two-thirds of the match fees, with the ATO imposing a 32.5% withholding tax.

The imposition of this tax was an integral part of the hosting agreement that FIFA agreed with the Australian government.

The tax imposition implies that Nigeria’s players, who reached the last 16, narrowly losing to England, earned $60,000 each but only received $40,500 after the ATO’s deductions.

In contrast, all teams that played their group and knockout matches in New Zealand had no deductions from their match fees. They were given tax-free status by New Zealand’s Internal Revenue Department.