Asante Kotoko defeated Karela FC to win the Tier I competition
Barely a month after emerging winners of the NC Special Competition Tier I and II respectively, Asante Kotoko and AshGold are still on the heels of the Ghana FA Normalization Committee for their prize monies.
The NC had announced prize money of ?200k and ?180k for the winners of the Tier I and Tier II respectively but the two clubs are as good as having nothing despite fighting to win the competitions.
Asante Kotoko defeated Karela FC to win the Tier I competition while AshGold emerged victorious over the Nzema Kotoko in the finals of the Tier II to lift the trophy.
The President of the Ghana FA Special Competition, Dr. Kofi Amoah had announced before the start of the tournament that the prize monies shall be handed over to the winners of the two competitions right after completion.
But Kotoko and AshGold have suddenly turned beggars who have to constantly remind the NC of their deserved prizes.
It remains strange as to why the NC is yet to pay the two clubs despite being given a mouthwatering amount of $1.2m by the Sports Ministry for the organization of the two competitions.
The two competitions were staged under the financial sponsorship of the Sports Ministry who had announced the release of the money to the NC even before the start of the competition.
Despite several reminders from the two clubs, the NC keeps calling for time to pay the prize monies stating no specific reason for the delay.
In a letter sighted by footballmadeinghana.com, addressed to the clubs dated 4th June 2019 and signed by Deputy General Secretary of the Ghana FA Ismaila Amin Gado, the NC only apologized to all clubs that had qualified to the knockout stage for the delay in releasing their monies without stating reasons for the delay.
The development is believed to have sparked tension between the Sports Ministry and the Dr. Amoah-led NC with the former hugely disappointed with the inability of the NC to pay the clubs.
For Kotoko and AshGold, the NC is even yet to officially communicate to them regarding their inability to pay the prize monies despite the several reminders from the two clubs.
With the non-payment of the prize monies for the two club, several questions are popping up over the credibility of the President of the FA – Dr. Kofi Amoah – who had emphatically stated that full funds had been secured for the competition even before it started.
“We are starting the Special Competition soon because all funds have been secured and we are good to go,” Dr. Amoah said on Adom TV six months ago.
Despite openly making this statement before the start of the competitions, the inability of the NC to pay the clubs barely a month after the tournament has thrown the already questionable image of Dr. Amoah into more doubt as he faces honesty crisis.
