The government of Ghana is ready to scrap the winning bonuses and appearance fee for the senior national team, the Black Stars of Ghana.
The Black Stars players have consistently milked the country without being able to win any major tournament for the past years.
Past and present government have tried their best to ensure the team win the Africa Cup of Nations after 37 years but all efforts have proven futile.
After Youth and Sports Minister, Isaac Kwame Asiamah on last week Wednesday revealed the actual budget for the Black Stars for the just-ended Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, it has emerged that the country has pumped a whooping amount of USD300, 000,000 only to the Black Stars since 2006.
According to the sector minister, an amount of $4,564,532.00 was spent during the tournament out of $6.3m budgeted for the tournament.
He stated that the approved budget comprised expenditure for a training tour and other tournament related activities, adding that $1.7m which was not expended will be returned to the state.
“Now the actual expenditure, Mr Speaker emphasis on actual expenditure, Mr Speaker an amount of $4,564,532 was expended on the training tour till the time Ghana exited the from the main tournament,” Mr Asiamah said.
Per the breakdown provided by Mr Asiamah, a total of $1,489,432 was spent on winning bonuses for the 23-man squad of players, the technical team and additional winning bonus to additional technical staff.
The players received a total of $965,405.00, the technical team got $347,027.00 and the additional technical staff bagged $177,000.00 as the Black Stars crashed out at the Round of 16 stage against Tunisia.
It will be recalled that Ghana played four games before suffering elimination at the hands of Tunisia. The Stars won only one game against Guinea-Bissau (2-0) and drew 2-2 with Benin and played out a 0-0 draw with AFCON holders Cameroon in the group stage.
Several questions have been thrown at the Minister as to why the country must spend such huge amount for the tournament worth $4.5m.
However, the board chairman for the National Sports Authority, Hon. Kwadwo Baah-Agyemang in an interview with Kumasi based Nhyira FM, revealed that after a fruitful discussion with the Sports Minister after the Black Stars failed to win the 32nd edition of Africa’s finest tournament in Egypt, the country is taking measures to nullify all incentives for the Black Stars players adding that the players will only be paid what is due to them should they win any major trophy for the country.
“Ahead of the tournament, the president, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo met the players and assured them that he is ready to support them to win the tournament but the players failed to archive what the president was expecting from them,” he said.
“Moving forward, the players will be paid any amount when they win any major tournament. I have discussed that with the Sports Minister [Isaac Asiamah] and he ready to implement that moving forward because we cannot continue to waste resources when we can inject those huge sums of money into other projects.
“There will be a meeting with the Youth and Sports Ministry to decide the structure of remuneration of our national team for proper standards in dealing with the Black Stars,” he added.
Meanwhile, $1,143,519 was spent on accommodation and $419,300 was spent on feeding.
Ghana exited from the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations at the round of 16 losing on penalties to Tunisia to extend the country’s trophyless jinx to 39 years.
The four-time African champions will be hoping to win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations that will be hosted to Cameroon.
By Samuel Ekow Amoasi Appiah
