Izuchukwu OkosiSuper Falcons players who made the cut for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand have been paid $40,500 each and not the supposed $60,000 (N46.2m as at August’s exchange rate) participation fee.
There was controversy over the disbursement of the fee to the players with the Nigeria Football Federation reportedly keen to hand out the payment to the girls who reached the round of 16 of tournament.
However, it has emerged that Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) have themselves sent the monies to all participating players at the World Cup albeit the appearance fees for those who prosecuted their gsems in Australia has been taxed.
Nine-time African champions Nigeria reached the knockout stages of the World Cup without losing a game in regulation time in the group stages.
FIFA president, Gianni Infantino in June announced that the world body would dole out $110m in prize money to the 32 participating teams, which is close to a four-fold increase from the $30m in 2019, allocated for 24 teams.
The world football governing body added that all the 732 players in the new scheme were guaranteed to receive $30,000, while the 23 players in the winning team will pocket $270,000 each — the first time ever that women players will receive guaranteed pay at a World Cup.
After earning the guaranteed $30,000 for appearing in the group stage the Falcons earned another $30,000 after making it to the round of 16 of the tournament.
Incidentally, players from several teams at the World Cup received significantly less than they hoped, as a result of a significant level of tax imposed on their match earnings by the Australian Tax Office.
The Nigerian side earned a point in their first group game after a goalless draw against Canada while they shocked home side Australia 3-2 before a draw against the Republic of Ireland in the last group game.
In the round of 16, they were beaten 4-3 on penalties by 10-woman England after full time and extra time.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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