Antoine Semenyo's participation at the World Cup for Ghana could rake in £9,000 a day from Fifa in a compensation package.
Football's world governing body have put together a Club Benefits Programme to "recognise the contribution of the clubs towards the tournament" which takes place in Qatar during the regular season. They have set aside around £189million which is likely to benefit over 400 clubs around the world.
Bristol City will be one of those because "the compensation will be paid to all clubs for which the footballer has played in the two years prior to the World Cup". With Semenyo coming through the Robins academy, it means the Robins will receive £9,000 for each one day he remains with Ghana during the tournament and the preparation period.
Semenyo, 22, is set to be called up to Otto Addo's Ghanian squad for the World Cup in Qatar as they look to progress in a group that includes Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea. The striker was called up for their international friendlies last month and featured as a substitute against Brazil and in the final five minutes against Nicaragua.
With the tournament getting underway on November 20 and Ghana's last group game taking place on December 2, City could apply for the maximum payout during the group stages which stands out at around £160,000. That increases if Ghana progress with a maximum payout of £195,000 for the Round of 16, £250,000 for the quarter-finals, £290,000 for the semi-finals and £330,000 to clubs of players who reach the final.
Semenyo is the only City player likely to be heading to the World Cup with Andi Weimann's Austria, Tomas Kalas' Czech Republic and the Republic of Ireland, who have called up Max O'Leary to recent squads, failing to qualify. Ghana have one warm-up game before the tournament gets underway against Switzerland on November 17, five days after City's home game with Watford.
Barring a surprise call-up, Robins midfielder Andy King will watch his old Wales team-mates look to upset the odds in Qatar. The 33-year-old admitted he would never retire from international football but is fully aware he isn't playing regularly enough to be considered in Rob Page's plans.
"I've not played enough to generate a Wales call-up. I'm never going to retire from international football, of course not," he said last week after the 0-0 draw against Coventry. "Wales have qualified for a major tournament and they've been brilliant, those lads fully deserve to be on that plane and going to the tournament.
"I've had my Wales experience in terms of a brilliant career. 50 caps and a major tournament and played in a semi-final of the European Championships. Listen, if they call me up I'd be over the moon but I'm not saying after one game of football (versus Coventry) I should be stepping into that squad."
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