AFCON: Brazil 2014 saga could recur – Nyantakyi

Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kwesi Nyantakyi has warned that that the row over bonuses for the Black Stars at the last World Cup in Brazil is likely to happen again if government does not sort out the bonuses for players of the national team ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.

The Black Stars threatened to boycott the match against Portugal at the Mundial in 2014 over the non-payment of their appearance fees, a situation the FA boss, speaking to Class Sports, wants to avoid.

“We had a different regime introduced by Nii Lante Vanderpuye when he became Minister of Youth and Sports. He had a new management concept altogether that the management team must be relegated to the background, so he stepped into the shoes of management and directly engaged players. Unfortunately, he hasn’t met players to discuss this. So the issues of Brazil 2014 are likely to recur if serious steps are not taken to address these issues. We have discussed this with the transition team for steps to be taken to resolve these issues,” Mr Nyantakyi stated.

The Black Stars are currently in the United Arab Emirates for a pre-tournament training camp for the AFCON, which commences on 14 January.