VOA文化艺术2023--World Cup Money Is Life-changing for Some Players

World Cup Money Is Life-changing for Some Players

The players who reached the knockout round of the Women's World Cup received larger individual bonuses than those of the past. The increased earnings¹ can be life-changing for many of the players.

FIFA, the world's soccer organizing body, pays $30,000 for the 732 players among 32 teams in the 2023 World Cup. The amount rises to $60,000 for players on the 16 teams that advance out of group play.

The amount grows to $90,000 for players in the quarterfinals. That is a major payday, especially for the many players who have had pay disputes with their soccer organizations.

Hildah Magaia is on South Africa's team, and was a big part of its advance out of group play into the knockout round. The team calls Magaia "Breadwinner." The term is often used to describe someone who earns the money needed to support their family.

The South African players doubled their payout. Magaia says she plans to use the money to care for her mother.

"I'll be able to do everything for my mother because I'm the one who's taking care of her," she said. "I'm the breadwinner, so I'll be doing everything for my mom."

Deneisha Blackwood plays for Jamaica. It lost to Colombia in the knockouts. She said the minimum pay was a good start for her team, which has had serious financial difficulties.

"A lot of us have bills to pay and family to take care of," Blackwood said, "and I think for the younger generation, especially, football doesn't make you a lot of money. So for (girls) to see us doing what we love and realize that you can make a living off it — it's motivational."

In June, FIFA said it would provide $110 million in prize money for players of the Women's World Cup. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the money would be sent to soccer's governing bodies, called federations³. They would be responsible for awarding it. Infantino said he could not guarantee that the money would reach the players.

FIFPRO is an organization that represents international players. The organization said late Tuesday that it was assisting Nigeria's national team players in a dispute with their federation² concerning earnings dating back as far as 2021.

"The team is extremely frustrated⁴ that they've had to pursue the Nigeria Football Federation for these payments before and during the tournament," FIFPRO said. "It is regrettable that players needed to challenge their own federation at such an important time in their careers."

Before the World Cup, South African players boycotted⁵ a game against Botswana because bonuses were not included in their contracts. Patrice Motsepe, president of the African Football Confederation, agreed to give $320,000 to the players to be divided equally. The dispute was settled.

Nigerian player Uchenna Kanu said the money was not the team's main goal --- playing well was.

"But of course, if we get paid that much money, of course, it'll have a huge impact on our lives," Kanu said. "We have families, we have things to take care of with money. That's important for us as well."

The total prize money at this Women's World Cup is more than three times the $30 million that was paid out at the 2019 Women's World Cup in France. But it is still far less than the $440 million in prize money for the Men's World Cup in Qatar last year.

Words in This Story

knockout - n. in soccer, a team is out of the tournament after a loss in the knockout round

bonus - n. extra amount of money

advance - v. to move forward

quarterfinal - n. a round in a competition with four teams left

minimum - n. the lowest number

motivational - adj. causing someone to do something

frustrated - adj. discouraged or upset

pursue - v. try to get to

tournament - n. a sports competition

challenge - v. dispute

 

impact - n. major influence

1 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

2 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

3 federations   

n.联邦( federation的名词复数 )；同盟；联盟；联合会

参考例句：

• These problems are women's special problems and special work of women's federations. 这样的问题，就是妇女的特殊问题，就是妇联的特殊工作。 来自互联网
• The Bridge Federate is a feasible solution to achieve multi-federations interconnection. 基于桥接成员实现多联邦互连是目前较为通用和可行的方法。 来自互联网

4 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。