𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘂 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗰𝗸-𝗼𝗳f

Barau Football Club of Kano has made history, becoming the first African club, if not the first in the world to pay players’ match winning bonuses before the start of a competitive match.

The historic gesture took place today February 2, 2025, when the club paid its players ahead of kick-off against Ikorodu City in the NPFL Matchday 24, a move never before recorded in football history.

According to the General Manager of the club, Dominic Iorfa, match winning bonuses are meant to serve as a morale booster, motivation, and a form of appreciation for players’ efforts. He explained that motivating players or saying “thank you” before the job is done is not a strange concept to him and “thank you” said before receiving pushes the giver to give more, same applied to the players.

The unprecedented decision followed a routine pre-match talk at the team’s camping hotel, After addressing the players and informing them of the intention to pay their outstanding draw-match bonus against Bendel Insurance, Orji Kalu, one of the players, suggested that both the draw bonus and the expected win bonus be paid together.

The suggestion was unanimously supported by his teammates, who confidently assured the management of victory.

Acting immediately, the General Manager approved the request and ordered that the payments be made.

Confirming the development, the team captain, Usman Aminu Maidubji, stated that each player received ₦300,000 at exactly 1:30 P.M. He described the alert as a powerful source of motivation, noting that the agreement was clear: if the team lost the match, the players would refund the money.

“With that understanding, nobody was willing to lose,” he said.

The captain also expressed deep appreciation to the Grand Patron of Barau FC, Senator Dr Barau I. Jibrin, the President of the club, Shawall Barau Jibrin, and the General Manager, Dominic Iorfa, for their continuous support, guidance, and commitment to the success of the team.

Senator Barau is indeed setting new standards in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), as paying match bonuses before kick-off is a practice not even top European clubs have adopted.

Please give this post a share, let’s celebrate the beautiful gesture, that may soon be copied by Europeans