Annick Pikbougoum denies claims over Burkina players' bonuses

Burkina Faso’s sports minister, Annick Lydie Djouma Pikbougoum/Zingué Ouattara, has rejected allegations that bonuses owed to the women’s national team were diverted or reduced. She said checks with those responsible for making the payments confirmed that the players and technical staff received the sums due for the home and away matches against Togo under the established scale.

The minister’s response addresses claims made by former women’s team coach Pascal Sawadogo, who linked what he described as poor financial treatment during the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco to the team’s disappointing results. Ouattara said the payments for the relevant matches had been made in full and that no player’s allowance was withheld.

Under the stated CAN payment structure, each player is entitled to 1 million CFA francs for selection and camp participation. A further 500,000 CFA francs is allocated for qualification, calculated according to the number of qualifying matches played. The national coach’s corresponding amounts are 2 million CFA francs for selection and camp participation and 1 million CFA francs for qualification.

Ouattara also said the government had adopted new measures to increase bonuses for national teams. The plans include work to modernise and enhance Burkina Faso’s sports facilities, although the minister did not give a timetable or revised amounts.