Government officials steal $800,000 from Ivory Coast AFCON title bonuses
Authorities in Ivory Coast have confirmed that about $800,000 is missing from bonuses destined for the national team players who won the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea last February.
The state treasury manager was fired on Wednesday after which the ministry of interior affairs launched an investigation into the scandal.
The ministry of sports and the football federation have been pointing the finger at each other since last month when a player broke the news that the team’s bonuses were yet to be paid.
Upon their return from the 2015 Afcon, each player was promised $97,000 (a $50,000 house plus 47,000 in cash).
Coach Herve Renard would take home $123,000 while another $490,000 would be shared among members of the technical staff.
However, VfB Stuttgart midfielder Serey Die revealed early April that only part of those funds had been paid, with Frenchman Renard confirming as well that he was yet to receive his due.
The government decided to get involved this week following the inability of the ministry of sports and the FA to resolve the issue.
A spokesman said the authorities would settle the outstanding bonuses with immediate effect and then bring to book all those involved in the embezzlement.
However, sports minister Alain Logbognon accused the players of not alerting his office soon enough when the funds failed to reach their respective bank accounts.
“We would have long resolved this issue if the players had come in the open early enough to say their bonuses were never wired to their bank accounts,” he said.
The Elephants defeated Ghana in the final to win their second continental title.
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