Our national game is once more about to be rocked to it's foundations as the news of teams receiving money for winning matches is about to break.

These allegations of bribery revolve around a payment known throughout our beautiful game as a `win bonus`, that is to say, an extra bonus for a win.

It is widely accepted that many players will have received these payments at some point in their careers, with top stars receiving payment several times a season.

Closed Ranks

Predictably enough the football world seems to have closed ranks over the issue. An FA representve told me ha had no idea what we were on about, although he mentioned that he was looking forward to the World Cup finals in the USA.


I then rang Justin Walker, who asked to remain anonymous. An anonymous player confirmed that the fabled bonus, did in fact exist, but the big prizes come with winning a league or one of the cups. The anonymous player was keen to point out that he hadn't received any of these big payments, except when he was part of a team that won at Wembley in 1999.



The man in the street has been quick to condemn these revelations. He told us that it was scandalous that players should pick up a bonus for winning. After all, that is what they're being paid to do anyway, surely.

Unless of course the weekly wages were only for drawing and losing. In which case shouldn't there be a draw bonus as well, being as a draw is surely worth more than a defeat.

The man in the street however could understand Grimsby Town or Doncaster Rovers offered extra loot to won the cup as they're not very good and could probably do with an incentive.

Soup Kitchens

The man in the street said that in the old days players would turn out regardless of wages. He remembered seeing Jack Brownsword and Barrie Thomas at a soup kitchen and Kevin Keegan living in a cardboard box on Henderson Avenue.

He said fans could relate to the players back then, not like today where they own detached houses and their own cars.

He then told us he had to go as he was late for work and didn't want to lose his timekeeping bonus.