Citi Sports can confirm that money was flown into Kigali to pay the Black Stars before they played against Rwanda in the 2017 AFCON qualifiers last Saturday.
However, it has emerged that the money did not arrive from Accra as being speculated but it rather came in from Congo.
[contextly_sidebar id=”qC6vv0EuwRc2hQO0BHLoflQJRLII2maZ”]According to sources close to the Sports Ministry, an amount of USD $200, 000 was paid to Black Stars players and coach Avram Grant as winning bonuses for their 7-1 victory over Mauritius in the first round of the 2017 AFCON qualifiers.
The White Paper of the Dzamefe Commission proposed the scrapping of cash payments to the Black Stars after the Brazil Fiasco in the 2014 World Cup.
The Government of Ghana accepted the proposal but the latest development from Rwanda shows a complete departure from the directive stated below on the mode of payments for the Black Stars: a) Bank transfer to the accounts of all beneficiaries b) Order cheques in the name of the beneficiaries The players had not been paid since winning the match in June and reports said the players were getting impatient about the delays.
Citi Sports sources say that amount was flown in from Congo on the orders of the Sports Minister, Dr. Mustapha Ahmed, to pay the the players.
The amount was originally meant for athletes who are representing the nation at the All African Games in Congo.
However, following pressure from the Black Stars players over the delays, the Ministry was forced to fly the money to Rwanda on the eve of the match against the Amavubi in Kigali.
Each of the 18 players who played against Mauritius was given USD $10,000 cash and the head coach of the team Avram Grant was given USD $20,000.
That brought the total amount of money paid to USD $200,000. Other team officials and members of the management were however not paid their bonuses in Kigali but were promised cheques on arrival in Accra by the Sports Ministry.
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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana