A bonus of one million euros has been promised to the Equatorial Guinea football team in the Africa Cup of Nations after their 4-0 victory over the host country Ivory Coast on Monday secured them the top spot in Group A, the country’s president announced on Tuesday. Equatorial Guinea humbled Ivory Coast in Abidjan, finishing ahead of Nigeria and the host country in the CAN.
According to a government statement, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, the world’s longest-serving ruler, enthusiastically witnessed the team’s victory. His son, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, pledged an additional 50,000 euros to the team for each goal scored against Ivory Coast, adding 200,000 euros to the prize.
The West African country, with a population of around 1.5 million, has had only two presidents since gaining independence in 1968. Obiang overthrew his uncle Francisco Macias Nguema in a coup in 1979 and has been accused by critics of amassing considerable personal wealth despite doing little to alleviate the country’s poverty.
