Immediate-past head of the Black Stars, Kwasi Appiah, has stated a legal defense in asking the Ghana Football Association to pay him monies due him instead of his usual paymasters, the sports ministry.
Appiah, 61, was reappointed by the Ghana Football Association as Black Stars head coach in May 2017 and worked till his contract expired on 31st December, 2019.
Before his contract expiration, he was owed five months salaries- $35,000 a month, and one match winning bonus of $10,000 unpaid, totaling $185,000.
The ex-Ghana international, in an interview with Starr Sports on Thursday, mentioned that he feels disrespected by the country’s football governing body after writing to them through his lawyers but is yet to receive the FA’s response.
“It looks like the FA don’t care. This is money I have worked for and they are not telling me anything which I feel it doesn’t show sign of respect.
“So I have told my lawyers to deal with it”
“I decided to keep quiet on my salaries issues all these while but I think if you are working with someone and you are no more, the best way is to give the person whatever he deserves and there will be peace.” He told Starr FM Sports.
“The question is how do I feed my family meanwhile I quiet remember when they took over Dr. Kofi Amoah gave them 1,000,000 dollars and I even understand there is also some 500,000 dollars from FIFA or whatever, the bottom line is you should look at the essential ones and try and sort it out.
But, communications director of the Ghana FA Henry Asante Twum in an interview with the BBC, has explained the situation, stating emphatically that it is not the responsibility of the FA to pay the coach, but the state.
“The GFA does not pay the coach – it’s the state that pays the coach,” Twum told the BBC.
“The GFA is the employer of the head coach of the national team but his salary is paid by the state. He [Appiah] wrote to the GFA [demanding his outstanding salaries and bonuses] and we forwarded his letter to the [sports] ministry.
“It is the ministry that must pay him, not the GFA.”
“Kwasi Appiah has been in and out of the Black Stars for so many years and he knows that it is not the FA that pays him.”
“It’s very strange to read what is going round because it’s not the FA that pays the head coach of Black Stars, it is the Government of Ghana. That has been the constitution. The Government owes him.” he concluded.
Our outfit, however, can confirm that Appiah and his legal team will drag the GFA to the world’s football governing body for settlement should they fail to respond to his later or pay him in withing the next seven days.
