BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

If there is any football federation in Africa whose national team is swimming in ocean of dollars, it is the Senegal Football Federation.

Over the last five years, Senegal national team has raked $30m (Ncc) as prize money from their qualification to two editions of the World Cup and participation in three editions of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Not only has the national team consistently been rated as number one in Africa in over four years, it has been the one with the biggest harvest of money from successes on the field.

Since it has also depended on its citizen as the head coach, it also means the Senegal Teranga Lions do not suffer from capital flight as their coach, Aliou Cissé will be paid in domestic currency.

In the past  five years, Senegal has been experiencing financial increase  from prize monies. As quarter-finalists at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal earned $800,000 (N332.6m) after they agonisingly crashed out against Cameroon in an encounter decided by penalty shoot-out.

Like Nigeria and the other three African teams that scaled through but crashed out at Russia 2018 World Cup, Senegal earned $1.5million (N623.6m) as qualification fee and another $8m (N3.3b) in the group stage taking their gross earning over  the period of 2017/2018 to $10.3m (N4.28b).

As runners-up at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, Senegal’s prize money was $2.5m (N1b) bringing the gross since 2017 to $12.8m. At the time, Nigeria’s prize money as third-placed  team was $2m (N831m) Super Eagles earned $9.5m (N 3.9b) from the Russia 2018 participation.

As winners of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations played in 2022, Senegal earned $5m (N2b) thus taking their earning from 2017 to February 2022 to $17.8m (N7.4b).

Being knocked out before the quarter-finals, Nigeria had no income from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. Missing out at Qatar 2022 means a loss of $12.5m (N5.1b).

For Senegal, it is a net-breaking, boat-sinking catch as they will get $2.5m (N1b) World Cup qualification fee, with a  projected additional $10m (N4.1b) if they don’t move beyond the group stage.

Their earnings increase as they progress in the competition. They are the African team with the best ratio of wins at the World Cup and had been only African team to advance to the quarter finals at their World Cup debut.