Fufa to get Shs1.1b despite Uganda's poor show at Chan

The home of Fufa. PHOTO/COURTSEY 

What you need to know:

Uganda that finished third behind West African giants Senagal and Ivory Coast will get $300,000 (Shs1.1b) same as Libya and Sudan who finished third in groups A and C respectively. Fufa received half that amount after Cranes finishing last in their group in 2021.

Fufa is set for another windfall of money as the continental football body Caf announced an increment in prize money for the Africa Nations Championship (Caf) starting with the current edition that is ongoing in Algeria.

The Uganda Cranes had yet another poor outing where the team coached by Serbian Milutin 'Micho' Sredojevic appeared for a record sixth time but failed to progress beyond the group stage.

The result has sparked debate on media and social media platforms with a number of fans and sports stakeholders questioning whether the money sunk into the team's preparations was worth it.

However, as the debate rages on, Fufa will be smiling to the bank after Caf announced a 60 percent increase in prize money with the worst performers -the last in the group of four teams- settling for $200,000 (Shs736m).

Uganda that finished third behind West African giants Senagal and Ivory Coast will get $300,000 (Shs1.1b) same as Libya and Sudan who finished third in groups A and C respectively.

Fufa received half that amount after Cranes finishing last in their group in 2021.

Fufa president Moses Magogo had earlier threatened to withdraw the team from the finals but that never happened after the government availed the shs2bn to the team for preparations.

Commercial value

Caf announced the prize money ahead of the quarterfinals that kick off on Friday evening. In total, the overall prize money has been increased from $5.45m awarded in the 2021 finals to $7.9m (Shs29.1bn), a 60 percent rise.

"The decision, that has been confirmed by Caf President Dr Patrice Motsepe, is in line with CAF's strategy to increase the commercial value of African competitions," Caf announced.

The four teams that will bow out in the quarter finals on Friday and Saturday will $400,000 while the losers in the semifinal fixtures settle for $500,000.

The winner of the tournament will take home $2m (Shs7.37b) and the runner up $800,000. With defending champions Morocco shunning the tournament, Tunisia banned from these finals, Libya and DR Congo relegated, a new winner will be crowned.  The final will be played on February 4 at the Nelson Mandela stadium in Algiers.

Chan 2023 prize money

Overall - $7.9m

Winner - $2m

1st Runner-up - $800,000

 2nd and 3rs runners-up - $500,000

Losing quarterfinalists - $400,000

3rd in group - $300,000

4th in group - $200,000