Starlets assured of regular payments of bonuses/allowances

Accra, Jan 12, GNA - The Black Starlets, Ghana's Under 17 national soccer team has been assured of regular and prompt payments of allowances and bonuses as a means of motivation towards the achievement of positive results.

Mr Kwasi Nyantekyi, vice chairman of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) told the players at the Kotoka International Airport on arrival from Ethiopia on Monday night that "the problem with the payment of allowances and bonuses is now a thing of the past."

He said the GFA and the Ministry of Education and Sports had designed a mechanism that would eliminate delays in the remunerations of players and officials to prove that their efforts were appreciated.

The vice chairman urged the players to deem it an honour to be selected from 18 million Ghanaians to play for the nation and reciprocate such honour with a high degree of discipline and commitment which were paramount to the success of a football team.

Mr Nyantekyi praised the players for their gallant performance in Addis Ababa, adding that "the home team had an advantage of the weather and bad officiating and even though you lost, you did not disgrace the nation and yourselves."

He urged them to ensure that they won the return leg in Kumasi to qualify for the continental championship slated for Gambia in May. On the relationship between the team and the GFA, the vice chairman asked the technical crew and the players to consider members of the football governing body as their elder brothers or uncles who would be willing to listen to them and proffer solutions to their problems. Consequently, Mr Nyantekyi asked the team to contact the GFA anytime they had problems and promised that the FA would remain in constant touch to motivate them to attain greatness.

Meanwhile, the team left Accra for their Sports College camp at Winneba on Tuesday to begin preparations for the return encounter against Ethiopia on Sunday, January 23.

Ethiopia won the first leg match at the Addis Ababa International Stadium by 2 -1, after falling behind on 67 minutes from an Abubakar Awudu header.

They equalised in the 83rd minute and went ahead in the 85th minute through a dubious penalty awarded by Somalian referee Huissen Omar.