By Tansa Musa
YAOUNDE (Reuters) – Cameroon’s government has set match bonuses for the national soccer team to avoid the ruckus over money that led to a strike last year and the subsequent suspension of captain Samuel Eto’o.
They will each be paid 5 million CFA Francs (S$9,550) for any win in the World Cup qualifiers, which start this weekend, and will receive 500,000 FCFA for every call-up to a competitive match among other bonuses, sports ministry officials told Reuters on Monday.
All the money comes from state coffers and should the team qualify for the World Cup or African Nations Cup finals, they will be entitled to a special bonus to be decided by the government.
Eto’o was given an eight-month ban for leading a strike last November when Cameroon refused to play a friendly in Algeria because they had not been paid promised bonuses.