The national sides' coaches as Guinea's Patrice Neveu said are judged on results, but it would help them immensely if the players were paid, not to mention themselves -- however it has ever been thus in African football.

One could argue that many of the countries find it hard to feed themselves so paying their footballers would seem like a misplaced priority.

However, as several players and coaches have said, the one thing that raises the spirits and morale of the blighted people of their countries is success for the football team.

"This is the only time we can put a smile on people's faces," said Democratic Republic of Congo's inspirational captain Lomana LuaLua about his team performing at the African Nations Cup.

However, there were not too many smiles to be had on his and his fellow teammates' faces during the tournament -- though they played some of the most vibrant and entertaining football -- because they were kept waiting for the promised payments.

DRC's soon to be former coach Claude Le Roy may not want to as he told AFP 'be the richest man in the cemetery' but the 58-year-old Frenchman would not have minded a bit if the DRC authorities had paid his players on time.

Instead his campaign here at the African Nations Cup -- which ended with a 4-1 defeat by hosts Egypt on Friday -- was bedevilled by arguments over when and if the players were going to be paid which he believes cost them dearly in the group stage.

While they managed to overcome a few hours' sleep -- because they had sat up arguing over when the money was arriving -- to beat a demoralised Togo 2-0 in their first match, by the time they came to taking on Cameroon the issue had reached boiling point.

Indeed Le Roy said that his side's poor disciplinary record -- they had two players sent off in the group stage and had three key players suspended for the quarterfinal -- could be laid at the door of the money issue.

"I think that the financial situation undoubtedly had something to do with the lack of discipline. They understandably had other things on their minds," said Le Roy, who himself has been paid just 30 percent of his salary dating back to last June.

Though it may seem as if they were behaving like spoilt rich footballers when they threatened to boycott the quarterfinal, it is a rather different scenario to that if the English national side delivered similar menaces given the wages they are paid by their Premiership clubs.

"A lot of the players in the squad earn 30 dollars a week," said Le Roy.

LuaLua is one of the few DRC players who earns money unimaginable to either his teammates or most of the citizens of his country -- he plays for Premiership strugglers Portsmouth -- but he put into perspective the anger felt within the group.

"People may think it is being selfish at arguing over money when we are here to represent our country.

"However while I am fine as I play in the Premiership, the others all have to put food on the table for their families and without money that is rather difficult," said the 25-year-old.

Desperate situations require desperate measures and in the end the matter appeared to be resolved when the president of the DRC, Joseph Kabila, came through with promises that the money would be forthcoming.

However while it may sound optimistic perhaps next time the teams competing in the African Nations Cup should have as their mantra before they start their campaigns fictional sports agent Jerry Maguire's catchphrase -- 'show us the money!'