Government does not owe the Black Queens - Kofi Adams counters

The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has strongly rejected claims by the Black Queens that government owes them outstanding per diems and bonuses, saying signed payment records show that the players have received all per diems due to them.

The rebuttal follows a joint statement from the players on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, in which they demanded outstanding financial entitlements, including per diems for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, bonuses for qualifying for the tournament and a bonus for progressing from the group stage.

But the Ministry says its records tell a different story.

According to the Ministry, the players and eligible officials received their per diems in advance on July 29, covering July 26 to August 7, 2026.

Following Ghana’s quarter-final exit and the team’s continued stay in Morocco for the World Cup play-off pathway, another payment was made on August 11 to cover August 8 to 14, 2026.

Crucially, the Ministry said the payments were acknowledged individually by recipients through signed allowance sheets, copies of which it attached to its statement.

“These payments were duly acknowledged by the recipients through signed allowance sheets,” the Ministry stated.

It added that the documents were provided “in the interest of transparency and to place the facts on record”, insisting that as of August 12, 2026, government had no outstanding per diem obligation to the Black Queens.

On bonuses, the Ministry acknowledged that the players earned a winning bonus for beating Cape Verde but said it is still being processed and will be paid directly into the beneficiaries’ bank accounts.

It also rejected claims of an unpaid WAFCON qualification bonus, saying qualification through the home-and-away round does not attract a separate government bonus under the current financing framework.

“There was no Government approval for the payment of winning bonuses for the WAFCON qualifying matches against Egypt,” the Ministry added.

The government further defended its welfare arrangements, pointing to the team’s medical, nutritional, administrative and technical support structure.

The contrasting statements from the players and government have now raised questions over the exact nature of the outstanding payments being disputed, as Ghana prepares for its decisive World Cup play-off against Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday, August 13, 2026.



FKA/AM