Odartey: Black Stars not greedy

Former Black Stars player Nii Odartey Lamptey has said the low patronage of matches played by the senior national team at home can be put down to perceptions that the players are greedy and always running after money.

Attendance to games involving the Black Stars in recent times has dwindled. The latest, the 2017 AFCON qualifier against Rwanda at the Accra Sports Stadium – witnessed a stadium that was less than half-full.

Although some sports pundits believe the poor attendance was due to the fact that Ghana had already qualified for the AFCON, for which reason the outcome of the game would have no effect on the team’s qualification, others believed the low numbers was down to general apathy among fans.

However, speaking to Class Sports, Odartey Lamptey was of the view that the players may not be as greedy as is being played out in the media.

“We should avoid this money issue. Yes, I know that sometimes money is important, but then we should avoid bringing it into the public. We are like: ‘They don’t deserve the thing and we are giving it to them.’ So, the supporters also think they don’t deserve it and they are taking it, [plus the fact that] when they go to the tournament, they don’t win a trophy; that is what is causing all this,” he stated.