TOKYO, April 9: Japan’s World Cup players will be rewarded with an estimated 75,000 dollars each if they advance to the last-16 round of the World Cup finals on their home turf in June, a press report said Tuesday.

The Japanese Football Association executive board decided to reward the 23 players if they made the knock-out round but refused to say what size the bonuses would be, the Jiji Press news agency reported.

However Jiji estimated, based on earlier proposals, that the rewards would be little below 10 million yen (75,760 dollars) each for players, including those on the bench.

“We don’t wish to depress the motivation of reserve players,” an association official was quoted by Jiji as saying.

The 2002 finals, opening on May 31, will be co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.

The Japanese are determined not to become the first hosts in World Cup history to bow out in the group stage,

The association also plans to pay an estimated 300,000 yen (2,270 dollars) each to players who compete in a first-round match and an additional 750,000 yen (5,680 dollars) each if they win.—AFP