Handsome cash incentives await Thai soccer team

[SOCCER] The handsome Bt65-million cash incentives will be on offer for the Thailand's Asian Cup squad if they make an impossible mission possible - winning this year's title.

In the past 20 years, Thailand have never made it to the second round of the prestigious quadrennial competition. If the home side make history this time by advancing to the second round, Worawi Makudi, president of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), confirmed that the cash incentives of around Bt3-5 million will be awarded to the team.

Worawi said this in the press conference on "The Thai Players Fight It All Out If Their Fans Cheer On Them" scheme at Radisson Hotel on Monday. He is upbeat that the team could make it to the second round only if they beat Iraq in the curtain-raiser on July 7 at the Rajamangala National Stadium.

The FAT's president confirmed in the meeting that the association and those working with the team will seek the large sum of the cash incentives.

"I repeated my words twice that the cash incentives will belong to the team only if they can produce the best results in the tournament," he cited.

"If they perform well in the first round and make it the second round, I promise that they will get around Bt3-5 million. If they continue their superb form in the second round to enter the following round, they will get Bt5m cash.

"If they reach the semi-finals no matter what result it will be in the round, they will get an additional Bt10m cash. If they eventually win the title, we (FAT) will give them the big bonus of Bt10m cash incentives. Apart from Bt30m cash from the FAT, they will also win the tournament's top prize money of US$1 million or around Bt35 million. That means if they win the title, the overall Bt65m cash incentives are at stake for them.

The Nation