2023 World Cup: Why Super Falcons Got $40,500 Instead Of $60,000

Super Falcons of Nigeria players were reportedly paid over 30 percent less than the expected amount for participating in the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The Super Falcons camped in Australia during their group stage and round of 16 clash with England during the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Since they earned $30,000 for participating in the group stage and an extra $30,000 for reaching the round of 16, each Super Eagles player was expected to earn a total of $60,000 (or N46.2 million, according to the exchange rate in August), respectively.

However, the world football governing body, FIFA, entered an agreement with tax authorities in Australia, which permits the country to deduct from teams camped or played in the country during the World Cup.

UK publication, The Guardian, confirmed that the Australian Tax Office withheld 32.5% of the match fees from players whose teams were based in Australia during the tournament.

These players received slightly more than two-thirds of the match fees in line with the key component of FIFA’s hosting agreement with the Australian government.

On the other hand, there were no match fee deductions for any teams that participated in their group and knockout matches in New Zealand. The Internal Revenue Department of New Zealand granted them tax-free status.

However, Pro-rata taxes were applied to the teams that played in both nations based on the number of games they played in Australia.

In an interview with The Guardian, the director of communications for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ademola Olajire, said: “The tax authorities, based on the contract they had with FIFA, deducted 32.5%, meaning each player got $40,500 each as against $60,000. The players were shown the email from FIFA”.