GFA staff reject Government offer to pay their salaries

Staff of the Ghana Football Association have unanimously rejected attempts by the government to pay their salaries as repported earlier, 442gh.com can exclusively reveal.

Following a meeting of the two-man FIFA/CAF Liaison team and GHALCA officials, it was resolved and communicated later in a statement signed by a member of the liaison team Oti Akenteng, that government had agreed to pay the June salaries of staff members of the GFA after the association was closed down.

The Ghana Police Service had earlier announced, moments after a government statement which revealed steps being taking to dissolve the FA, that the offices of the association have been declared a crime scene, barring all workers from going to the offices to go about their normal duties.

The decision by government and the declaration by the police left the FA officials in an awkward position, not knowing whether they are still employees of the FA or they have been laid off.

But the statement of the liaison team earlier in the week signalled that government was concerned with the staff of the FA and how their salaries could be paid since the FA is defunct for now.

However, after a meeting held at M-Plaza Hotel on Accra on Monday, staff of the FA strongly opposed the attempt of the government to pay their salaries, insisting they rather want to know their status as workers of the FA following its closure.

442gh.com can exclusively reveal that the staff of the GFA argued that since government announced steps being taken to dissolve the football association, their fate has been in limbo and it will be better for them to be clear as to when the offices of the FA will be opened for them to start work instead of fighting for their salaries now.

Despite the agitations by the aggrieved staff of the FA, Oti Akenteng, a member of the liaison team and FA Technical Director disagreed and even pleaded with government to pay July salaries as well in advance but his plea was swept under the carpet by the staff who were not ready to receive any salary.

The attempt by government, whether deliberately done to assume an authoritative position over the FA, or to mitigate the financial woes of the staff of the FA, has collapsed with the FA staff refusing to accept the payments.