USA Today reported Friday that members of China's Women's World Cup team will get bonuses of up to $250,000 if they defeat the U.S. in their quarterfinal match, which came as news to team captain Wu Haiyan.
"I didn't know about that," she said through a translator at a news conference Thursday. "But thank you [for] telling me."
According to the report, the bonuses will be paid by the Chinese soccer association, which is trying to rebuild its once-formidable women's program after China failed to qualify for both the 2011 World Cup and the
Earlier the association had guaranteed the team $160,000 for beating Cameroon to reach the quarterfinals, USA Today said.
Many in China see Friday's game as a chance to avenge the country's loss to the U.S. in the 1999 World Cup final, when the Americans won on penalty kicks at a soldout Rose Bowl.
But Haiyan, who was 6 when that game was played, said revenge would not be a factor for the players. "I've watched replays," she said. "It was an exciting and historic match. And hopefully we can create history [Friday]."
Her coach, Hao Wei, agreed.
"What's past is past," he said. "It doesn't make any difference. I don't think it is vengeance or anything like that. "It is just a match."
In the run-up to the quarterfinal game, the country's state media said players on the World Cup team will receive the "highest ever" bonus for reaching the tournament quarterfinals, reported to be around 1 million yuan, or $160,000. That payout is still much smaller than bonuses paid to the men's team.
