We have five more games,
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2016 9:59 am
SAO PAULO, Brazil -- FIFA plans to pay out $200 million in total bonuses to its national members and confederations from its World Cup revenue of an estimated $4. .5 billion. Each of the 209 member countries will get $250,000 this month and should get a further $500,000 early next year, FIFAs finance director Markus Kattner told the governing bodys congress Wednesday. The six continental bodies will get $2.5 million this month and $4.5 million more next year. Kattner said the bonuses must be approved by independent audit panel chairman Domenico Scala, but that there is no reason to think the extra payments wont be made. The planned bonuses are a $200,000 raise compared to the payments made after the 2010 World Cup when each FIFA member got a total of $550,000. Then, the six confederations received a total of $5 million each. FIFA expects improved revenue of $4.5 billion for the four-year commercial cycle tied to the 2014 World Cup. It had budgeted to earn $3.8 billion. Kattner said FIFA expects to earn $5 billion in the cycle leading to the 2018 World Cup. A total of $2.7 billion should come from broadcasting rights sales, and $2.3 billion from sponsors and licensing. FIFA has budgeted to spend $4.9 billion through 2018, with $100 million added to its reserves. FIFAs reserve fund is currently more than $1.4 billion. . -- The Detroit Tigers think Alex Gonzalez is not too old to be a solution to their shortstop problem. . While the 23-year-olds progress had some teammates saying he was looking pretty good, Stamkos offered a more tempered approach to his return. "I dont feel where I need to be in order to play a game yet, but its getting there," he told reporters after practice at the Bell Centre in Montreal. . At a news conference ahead of Wednesdays game against Rennes, Blanc said he will sign a new contract "when were champions," adding "its a matter of principle" not to sign anything before the title has been won.A day after general manager Mike Gillis expressed doubt over his own future and that of his bench boss, Vancouver Canucks coach John Tortorella wouldnt let himself be drawn into the speculation over his job status after the season. "Mike Gillis is my boss and I cant speak for Mike," said Tortorella of his bosss comments on Friday afternoon. "I dont know how to answer to him because I cant speak for him. I dont want to do that. Mike and I are always talking, but to answer that, I just cant. Its not fair to him or me." Sitting six points out of the final wild card in the Western Conference with only five games to play, the Canucks are set to miss the playoffs for just the third time in 13 seasons and the first time since 2008. Still, Tortorella expressed no interest in publicly discussing his teams and, by extension, his own future. "Youre digging at a spot Id rather talk internally about," he said. "Thats probably something we can talk about after the season is over. I have to worry about coaching a hockey team. We have five more games, a team that needs to better and thats my focus." Gillis spoke on Thursday of his teams inability to play up to the style and level of play that theyre accustomed to for much of the season and Tortorella acknowledged his concerns, but maintained that he and Gillis shared a similar vision. "The style of play that were teaching, were onn the same page, yes," he explained. . "And it was a style of play that we played at the beginning of the year and no one else is responsible for the falter of the team and not staying up with the style of play that needs to be played here than me. I let it go just through our whole situation with the injuries and didnt grab a hold of it quick enough. No one else is responsible." While placing the onus on himself for his teams decline in play, Tortorella shot down the suggestion that he was overworking his star players to the point of injury. The Canucks have lost 282 man games to injury with key contributors including Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler and Kevin Bieksa missing significant time. "Its easy to look at numbers and say you played them too much and that is not why theres been a struggle there," said Tortorella. "Youre not going to talk me into that. It just isnt, but I certainly have tried in the second part, as weve tried to get healthy in the second part of the year, tried to stretch it, but a lot of it is determined on depth within your line-up. I dont want to go much further than that because I think Ill be a little bit too critical and I dont want to do that here. Thats an organizational-type situation and an organizational conversation." The Canucks are next in action on Saturday night when they host the Los Angeles Kings. ' ' '