French National Team Players Will Forgo Part Of Their Bonuses

French Football Federation President Noël Le Graët revealed that the national team players agreed to forgo any bonuses if they fail to qualify for the '14 World Cup in Brazil in addition to the usual money they receive for playing in friendlies, according to EUROSPORT.fr. Le Graët said, "The players renounced their bonuses for friendlies, which is significant. They will not get bonuses over the next two years. However, if we make it to Brazil (for the World Cup), 30% of the sum received from FIFA will be given to the players who participated in the qualification. That sum should be €8M ($10.2M), so €2.4M ($3.1M) for the team." Le Graët also revealed that four players played a key role in the negotiations: Hugo Loris, Karim Benzema, Franck Ribery and Rio Mavuba (EUROSPORT.fr, 9/7). In Paris, Guillaume Errard reported that the players forgoing their bonuses for playing in friendlies will save the FFF €2M ($2.6M) annually. However, the player will "continue to receive their image rights" and those will increase from €10,000 ($12,800) to €15,000 ($19,200) (LE FIGARO, 9/7).