The president of the Namibia Football Association (Afcon), Robert Shimooshili assured that all spendings on the Brave Warriors during the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) will be disclosed in due course.

The Afcon, hosted in Ivory Coast, concluded on 11 February, with the home nation clinching their third title.

Shimooshili disclosed that the Warriors players and technical team received a total remuneration of N$17 million, each player walked away with close to N$300 000. 

However, the breakdown of expenses covering accommodation, flight tickets, and other costs is yet to be released to media.

This revelation comes amidst the Warriors pursuit of additional compensation for their Afcon participation. 

Through lawyer, Kadhila Amoomo, they issued a letter to the NFA on Tuesday demanding N$15 million prize money following their advancement to the round of 16 at Afcon. The players assert their entitlement to the funds, stating that it’s reward money for reaching the stages, while the NFA contends it belongs to the association and not entirely to the players.

In the letter, Amoomo highlighted the agreement stipulating equal sharing of rewards among players and the technical staff. 

He pointed out that the agreement between the players and the NFA is clear that the reward should be shared equally amongst the technical team staff and the players.  

And that the rationale for sharing rewards amongst the players and technical staff is not only to empower the players and the technical staff, but to also foster a reward-based system to motivate the players and technical staff who participated in Afcon. 

Amoomo added that the NFA also receives funds, not only from Caf, but also from Fifa, which are aimed at subsidising its operations and infrastructural needs. “These funds should not be confused with the funds agreed upon as per contract and which are earmarked to serves as reward for the players and technical staff,” he said.

The lawyer gave the NFA until 27 March to address their demand. Shimooshili refrained from commenting on the letter, citing it as premature. He assured that their legal team will respond accordingly in due course. 

Meanwhile in January this year, Patrice Motsepe, president of Caf in an article written by DW expressed his belief that part of the prize money will contribute to the development of soccer and will also benefit all soccer stakeholders, while helping out member associations with their administrative tasks.

In the same article, the South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan had urged Caf to address issues to ensure that funds are channeled to the right places for the development of the footballers so that they don’t boycott competitions in the future. 

A source alleged that the NFA has a guiding document stating how prize money, rewards, and sponsorships should be distributed.

The source claimed that the players’ demand for re-negotiation arose after realising their success in reaching the round of 16. 

“In the contract it stated that in cases of sponsorships or rewards of any kind to the team during the tournament, the benefits shall be equally shared among the players and technical staff. 

“They did not think that they would make it to the round of 16. When they saw that they made it through, they wanted to re-negotiate the contract. For two hours in Ivory Coast, they refused to train. Halfway through the tournament they were doing this,” said the source.

Ivory Coast bagged a whopping $7 million (close to N$132 million) for winning the competition.

It is reported that players from Ivory Coast received cash and houses after the final.

Every player in Ivory Coast’s winning squad pocketed close to $82 000 (about N$1.5 million each) and received a villa worth a similar amount. 

All the perks listed above are in addition to the usual prize money doled out by Caf.

Nigeria received $4 million (close to N$75 million) as runner ups. It is not clear how much each player got remunerated.

Third-placed South Africa received $2.5 million (N$47 million). Each player bagged about $52 000 (about N$980 000) if not more. 

-lmupetami@nepc.com.na