An upset victory over defending champions Japan in the Asian Cup qualifiers will make every member of the Indian squad richer by Rs 100,000.
All India Football Federation chief Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi promised the largesse when he met the players on the eve of their departure to Hong Kong on the way to Yokohama to take on the Asian giants on February 22.
"The AIFF president paid a courtesy visit to the players and promised that each one of them would get Rs 1 lakh if the team beats Japan," an AIFF spokesman said.
The team left for Hong Kong on Thursday morning and will play a practice match against the Hong Kong team on Saturday before moving to Japan.
The players would receive Rs 50,000 each if they hold the Zico-managed side to a draw, Dasmunshi promised.
The coach, manager and other support staff will also be paid a certain amount in this regard.
India also faces Saudi Arabia and Yemen in the qualifying group and only the top two teams make it to the Asian Cup in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines next year.
The players had also received a cash bonus of Rs 1,20,000 after winning the SAFF Cup in Karachi in December.
But a senior AIFF official said there is no "policy" as such for giving cash bonuses.
"It is just an incentive for good performance," he said, adding no decision had yet been taken on any incentive for the qualifying matches that follow the Japan encounter.
Meanwhile, as frequent international assignments would necessitate national camps of lengthy durations, the federation is considering paying a salary to players for that period.
Apart from the Asian Cup qualifiers, the team also has to prepare for the Doha Asian Games in December and various other competitions.
"Clubs are unhappy when their top players are not available for tournaments and are unwilling to pay them for the time they are away on national duty," a top AIFF official said.
"Hence, we are thinking of paying a monthly salary to the players for the period they are at the national camp," he added.
A meeting with the players' representatives for deciding the amount of salary would be held in due course, the official said.
