FIFA Council confirms contributions for FIFA World Cup participants
As approved by the FIFA Council at its meeting in Kolkata on 27 October 2017, the total contributions for the participants of the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ will amount to USD 791 million, up 40 per cent compared to the previous edition in 2014.
From this total, the biggest share –USD 400 million- will be paid as prize money to be distributed among the 32 participating teams. The winners will receive USD 38 million, while the runners-up will get USD 28 million and the third-place team USD 24 million. The minimum prize money for teams eliminated at the group stage will amount to USD 8 million each. The complete details can be consulted in this table. All prize money will be paid after the tournament.
In addition, each qualified team will receive USD 1.5 million to cover preparation costs, which will be paid ahead of the competition. This means all teams are guaranteed at least USD 9.5 million each for their participation in the 2018 FIFA World Cup™.
Besides contributions paid to the participating teams, FIFA has already allocated USD 209 million for the Club Benefit Programme, which will be paid via the member associations to the clubs releasing players to the participating teams in the 2018 FIFA World Cup™.
Finally, USD 134 million have been earmarked for the Club Protection Programme, by which clubs are compensated for losses incurred due to players being injured while on international duty.
Courtesy: www.fifa.com
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses defence minister in surprise announcement
Jerusalem, Nov 5: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”
In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. But as the war dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged. While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the Hamas group.
Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life's mission."
Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the October 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his US counterpart, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
A previous attempt by Netanyahu to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu. He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday's announcement.
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister who was a junior officer in the military. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralising his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Gallant.
“But they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it,” he said.
