Angola Players Receive Cash, iPhones As Motivation To Beat Super Eagles

Ahead of Friday’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarterfinal clash against Super Eagles of Nigeria, Angola’s players and officials have been rewarded with cash and material gifts as motivation to win the match.

The Palancas Negras, which thrashed Namibia 3-0 in the Round-of-16 on Saturday to set up a quarterfinal encounter with Nigeria, were also promised cash gifts if they advanced to the semifinal of the tournament.

According to report by Angola Press Agency, Banco Angolano de Investimento, a bank in Angola, announced that it would reward each Angola player and members of coaching staff with the sum of five million Kwanzas (equivalent to approximately N5.41 million).

Aguinaldo Jaime, the President of the Board of Directors of UNITEL, a private Angolan mobile phone company, also gave an iPhone 15 with free calls, SMS, and internet for a year to every member of the Angolan delegation in Cote d’Ivoire.

SODIAM EP has also promised the team a substantial US$250,000 (equivalent to N225 million) if they defeat the Super Eagles.

Both Nigeria and Angola would go into the Friday’s quarterfinal match with an unbeaten record in the tournament. Nigeria had victories against Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, and five-time champions Cameroon in the in the second round. While Angola played 1-1 draw with Algeria in the opening match, beat Mauritania 3-2 in the second and thrashed Burkina Faso 2-0 in the final group match before edging Namibia out 3-0 in the round of 16.