From Cameroon’s players refusing to board their plane for Brazil to Spain's massive offer, World Cup bonuses have already caused a stir before a ball has been kicked in anger.
As ever it was an African country, this time Cameroon, which kicked up the first fuss over bonuses.
An offer of €76,000 per man was rejected before the players eventually accepted that amount plus six per cent of the revenue generated by their federation at the World Cup.
ADVERTISEMENT
Quibbling over such sums is a far cry from the extravagant offer dangled out in front of Spain’s reigning world and European champions.
They stand to earn a staggering €720,000 each should they lift the trophy for the second time in succession, but less impressive performances would result in drastically reduced earnings.
Their bonuses, like those for Germany, only kick in at the quarterfinal stage, where Spanish players would receive €60,000 compared to €50,000 for the Germans.
ADVERTISEMENT
Thereafter, however, the Spanish bonuses start to accelerate away, with Germany's players ‘only’ set to earn €300,000 a man if they win.
Brazil payday Host Brazil is also in line for a bumper payday, with squad members reported to earn around 1 million reais ($448,000) if they go all the way.
Those may seem astronomical sums but they must be taken into consideration alongside the fact that FIFA will give $35 million to the winning federation, $25 million to the runner-up with the two losing semifinalists gaining $22m and $20m depending on whether they win or lose the third-placed play-off.