Kuwait Emir offers $3.5m to national team
Kuwait’s Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah on Monday gave the national football team players one million Kuwaiti dinars ($3,533,190) after they won the Gulf Cup in Yemen.
The gift is the highest in a series of big financial rewards that have poured in following Kuwait’s victory in the Gulf tournament hosted by Yemen on November 22 – December 5.
The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Iraq and host Yemen competed for the cup that Kuwait won after beating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in one of the most exciting matches of the biennial tournament.
Kuwait parliament Speaker Jassem Al Khorafi offered $500,000 to the team, and several lawmakers, businessmen and princes gave large sums to thank the players for winning the cup for a record tenth time since the championship was launched in Bahrain. Kuwait has won half of the 20 tournaments.
Kuwaitis have welcomed the victory and the big money rewards as a “great move” to reinforce the social cohesion of the country following a series of ominous sectarian and social developments often fuelled by partisan media and forums that necessitated a strong intervention from the state.
http://gulfnews.com/sport/football/kuwait-emir-offers-3-5m-to-national-team-1.723917
