Crested Cranes Shs360m richer
The smile says it all. Crested Cranes skipper Ruth Aturo (left) and her teammates led by coach George Lutalo (right) are already guaranteed prize money for just taking part in the tournament. PHOTO/COURTESY & John Batanudde
What you need to know:
- And that return to the continental stage after 22 years came hours after the Caf president Patrice Motsepe had announced an almost 150 percent increase in prize money from $975,000 in 2018 to $2.4m.
- Any team that finishes fourth in the three groups is guaranteed to walk away with about Shs360m an increase from $75,000 (about Shs270m).
The Crested Cranes are already guaranteed $100,000 (Shs360m) by just appearing at the Women Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) that started on Saturday in Morocco.
The Uganda women’s national team played Senegal in their tournament opener in Rabat yesterday.
And that return to the continental stage after 22 years came hours after the Caf president Patrice Motsepe had announced an almost 150 percent increase in prize money from $975,000 in 2018 to $2.4m.
Any team that finishes fourth in the three groups is guaranteed to walk away with about Shs360m an increase from $75,000 (about Shs270m).
More to fight for
But Crested Cranes can widen that purse by finishing at least third. The best two third-placed finishers from the group stages make the quarterfinals, where the prize for stopping at the last eight stage is; $175,000 (about Shs630m) each and a place in the repechage round to determine the two teams that will qualify for the inter-confederation playoffs for the 2023 World Cup.
The one team that finished third in their group but doesn’t make the quarters will go home with $150,000 (about Shs540m). That is $50,000 (about Shs180m) more than the third-placed group finishers got in 2018 and $25,000 (about Shs90m) more than what Mali and Cameroon earned for reaching the semifinals.
Meanwhile, the two sides that stop at the semifinals will now each take home $225,000 (about Shs810m), which is $25,000 more than what Nigeria got for winning their 11th Wafcon title in 2018.
The runner up will get $300,000 (about Shs1.08bn) while the winner of the tournament will now earn more than double at $500,000 (about Shs1.8bn).
Moneybags
It is a good time for women’s football, which is also one of the main reasons Fufa got Shs17bn ring-fenced for them in the 2022/23 national budget from Shs10bn.
Fufa president Moses Magogo, in an interview on NBS Sports Monday night show Press Box, said the body’s general assembly will direct the executive committee on how the ring-fenced funds will be allocated.
It is also likely Fufa will wait to see how far Uganda goes in the tournament to decide how the Caf purse will be distributed although Magogo met the players on Friday to re-assure them of the federations support.
mmuziransa@ ug. nationmedia.com
