Kwasi Appiah made over $1m as Black Stars coach, he’s not broke – Asare Brako

Veteran Sports Journalist Kofi Asare Brako who speaks for the Sports Minister says claims by former Ghana coach Kwasi Appiah that he could not fend for his family because of some unpaid salaries and bonuses are far fetched.

According to Asare Brako, even though the Ministry is aware that it has to pay Kwasi Appiah for his services, any allusion to the fact that the unpaid monies will put him in a position where he can’t take care of his family would be an exaggeration.

Speaking to Kumasi based Nhyira FM over the weekend, Asare Brako said “ Kwasi Appiah was in charge of the Black Stars for well over two years. If you aggregate the salaries and bonuses he took while with the team (he took double of whatever players were taking as bonuses) he made over one million dollars in that period. We know we owe him but he is not broke. Kwasi Appiah is not hungry, he is a big man, he has enough money, we have paid him over 27 months salaries, plus signing on fee of $250,000.”

Coach Kwasi Appiah has been very vocal in the last couple of weeks, demanding for his unpaid salaries and bonuses to the tune of $185,000 from the Ghana Football Association.

Appiah has through his lawyers written to the GFA but the FA has maintained that even though they hire and fire coaches, their salaries are paid by the state through the Sports Ministry.

Appiah was on a $35,000 monthly salary amounting to $175,000, and a $10,000 bonus for the win against Sao Tome before his contract expired in December 2019.

"They owe me five months salary from August to December 2019,’’ Appiah told BBC Sport Africa.

‘’I gave them a three-month deadline but, up to now, I have heard nothing from them.

"My lawyers were in communication with the GFA about a month ago, reminding them of the debt they owe me and we heard nothing from them. So, we decided to send another letter on 6 May."

But the Ghana FA stated that the Ministry of Youth and Sports pay the Black Stars coaches, and not the FA.

GFA Head of Communications, Henry Twum, told BBC Sport Africa that he believed Appiah was aware of these rules.

"The GFA does not pay the coach - it’s the state that pays the coach," he said.

"The GFA is the employer of the head coach of the national team but his salary is paid by the state. He wrote to the GFA and we forwarded his letter to the ministry.

"It is the ministry that must pay him, not the GFA.

"Kwasi Appiah has been in and out of the Black Stars for so many years and he knows that it is not the FA that pays him. It’s very strange to read what is going round because it’s not the FA that pays the head coach of Black Stars, it is the Government of Ghana. That has been the constitution. The Government owes him."

But Appiah remains adamant that his contract was with the GFA and not the Government.

"I did not sign any contract with the Government or the ministries, I signed with the Football Association," he said.

Kwesi Appiah’s second stint, which lasted two-and-half years, ended in December.

He was replaced by his assistant, Charles Akonnor.