HELSINKI – France players will be awarded bonuses only if they qualify for the 2014 World Cup, the French federation said on Friday. The players have also agreed to give up their friendly match bonuses, FFF president Noel Le Graet explained before Les Bleus take on Finland in their Group I World Cup qualifier. “We're almost in a situation where there are no match bonuses anymore,” Le Graet told reporters. If they reach the World Cup finals, French players will share some 2.4 million euros ($3.03 million) in bonuses, Le Graet explained. The France players will still get 15,000 euros per game in image rights, a 50 percent increase from last season. After the Euro 2012 Finals, France players, who were knocked out by eventual winner Spain in the quarterfinals, were entitled to a 100,000 euro bonus each but the FFF froze the payments following the team's off-pitch drama. They had forfeited their bonuses after being eliminated in the first round of the 2010 World Cup following Nicolas Anelka's exclusion from the squad after he had insulted then coach Raymond Domenech. France was drawn with World and European champion Spain, Finland, Belarus and Georgia in its World Cup qualifying Group I. Blatter backs Japan Japan has been encouraged to bid for the 2019 Women's World Cup, with FIFA President Sepp Blatter seeing no reason why the country can't stage that and the Rugby World Cup in the same year. “Japan would be a good candidate,” Blatter said at a news conference Friday. “They are a little bit afraid because they have the Rugby World Cup in the same year but the sports are totally different.” The Rugby World Cup will be played in September-October, and Blatter said Japan could hold the women's tournament beforehand. Japan won the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany. Canada will host the 2015 tournament. Blatter was in Tokyo for Saturday's final of the Under-20 Women's World Cup between the United States and Germany. Uzbekistan was originally scheduled to host the U20 tournament, but FIFA stripped it of hosting rights because of “logistical and technical issues,” and Japan stepped in only six months before the start of the tournament. Blatter said Japan's successful staging of the U20 tournament proves it would be a good host for the 2019 event. “You have to play somewhere where women's football is established,” Blatter said. “Otherwise, it will not be a big success.” — Agencies
