FOUR Nigerian clubs that participated in this season’s African inter-club competitions are set to receive a major financial boost from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following an increase in prize money and solidarity payments.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that the beneficiaries include Rivers United, Remo Stars, Kwara United, and Abia Warriors, who represented Nigeria in the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup this season.
Reports indicate that the four clubs could receive approximately ₦559 million each from CAF as part of the revised financial rewards structure for African club competitions.
The prize money adjustment was announced on Monday by CAF President Patrice Motsepe, who revealed that the continental football body had approved significant increases for the winners of its two flagship club competitions.
Under the new structure, the winners of the CAF Champions League will now receive $6 million, representing a 50 per cent increase from the previous reward.
Similarly, the champions of the CAF Confederation Cup will earn $4 million, which marks a 100 per cent increase compared to the previous prize.
The CAF president said the increases are part of efforts to strengthen African club football and provide greater financial incentives for teams competing on the continent.
Aside from raising the prize money for the champions, CAF also increased the solidarity payments allocated to clubs eliminated during the preliminary stages of the competitions.
Previously set at $50,000, the payment has now been doubled to $100,000 for clubs knocked out in the early rounds.
Based on an exchange rate of ₦1,398 to one US dollar, the solidarity payments translate to roughly ₦559 million for each of the Nigerian teams that participated.
Despite representing Nigeria in continental competitions this season, most of the participating clubs were unable to progress far in the tournaments.
Reigning **Nigeria Premier Football League champions Remo Stars were eliminated from the CAF Champions League preliminary round after suffering a 7–1 aggregate defeat to South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns.
Similarly, Kwara United and Abia Warriors, who competed in the CAF Confederation Cup, also exited the competition during the preliminary stage.
Among the four Nigerian teams, Rivers United were the only club that managed to progress beyond the preliminary round.
The Port Harcourt-based side reached the group stage of the CAF Champions League before eventually being eliminated.
Because of their progress to the group phase, Rivers United could earn a much larger financial reward compared to the other Nigerian teams.
The last recorded payment for clubs eliminated at the group stage stood at $700,000, which is equivalent to about ₦978.6 million at the same exchange rate.
If the previous payment structure is maintained, Rivers United could receive at least ₦1.537 billion in total earnings from the competition.
Although Rivers United endured a disappointing group-stage campaign in which they failed to win a match, the club may have another opportunity to compete in Africa next season.
The team popularly known as the Pride of Rivers currently leads the Nigeria Premier Football League title race by two points with two games in hand.
If they secure the league title, they will once again represent Nigeria in the CAF Champions League next season.
Football analysts say the increased financial rewards from CAF could help Nigerian clubs strengthen their squads, improve infrastructure, and better compete on the continental stage.