Why Afriyie-Ankrah Wept For Ghana

…Inside Story Of The Appearance Fee Debacle

When former Coach of the Black Stars, James Kwesi Appiah, recently took his turn at the 2014 Brazil World Cup Commission of Enquiry, he gave a hint that corroborated the reason giving by former Minister Kofi Youth & Sports, Hon. Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah for weeping whilst testifying before the Commission.

The former Stars coach told the Commission that the minister got frustrated with failed promises that he was made to give to the players regarding the payment of their appearance fees. He said, based on information he was receiving from the authorities back home, the minister who led the Ghanaian delegation to the Brazil 2014 World Cup, kept reassuring the players about how soon the money was going to arrive, adding that this led to total breakdown of morale in camp with its attendant problems, resulting in Ghana’s early exit from the tournament.

It would be remembered that Hon. Afriyie-Ankrah wept when one of the Commissioners, Mr. Moses Foh-Amoani, asked him how he felt when Ghana failed to make it beyond the first round of the tournament. Before that, Mr. Foh-Amoani had asked him if he felt sabotaged, considering all that has happened in Brazil. His answer was that he could not rule out that possibility.

Later, the former youth & sports minister explained in a Ghana News Agency (GNA) report that he wept for Ghana. This was after he gave aspects of his testimony to the Commission in camera regarding the details of why the money for the appearance fee delayed in Ghana for several days before being finally flown to Brazil for disbursement to the agitated players.

The appearance fee debacle

Prior to embarking on the training tour, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) came into agreement with their sponsor Bank, uniBank to load the players’ money on Mastercards to avoid payment in cash. The GFA Management had earlier discussed the idea with the minister who was in full support.

This arrangement was later alluded to by uniBank’s Head of Marketing & Public Relations, Mr. Richard Osei Anane when citifmonline.com quoted him on Thursday July 3, 2014 as: “at the behest of the Ghana Football Association, we created accounts for the team and we issued them with MasterCards debit cards before they left for Holland and the United States for their pre World Cup training.”

Since the Chief Director and Chief Accountant of the Ministry of Youth & Sports (MoYS) assumed the players had accepted the uniBank MasterCard payment mode, they went to Natal without cash. Indeed, their intention was to confirm all relevant details of the players in Natal and then deal with the Bank to ensure that the agreed amount was released to them. The only thing left to be dealt with was the lingering and unresolved issue of the exact amount to be paid as appearance fee.

The GFA, led by Mr. Kwesi Nyantakyi, met with the Chief Director and Chief Accountant on 17th June 2014 in Natal. It was at the said meeting that GFA disclosed the players’ rejection of the uniBank arrangement, saying they were insisting on cash payment which they wanted done in Brazil.

On Wednesday 18th June 2014, the Minister dispatched the Chief Director and Chief Accountant back to Ghana for them to make the necessary payment arrangements. They were expected to return to Brazil immediately with the money which was already released by Bank of Ghana (BoG).

Owing to flight connection difficulties in Lisbon they arrived in Ghana on Friday 20th June 2014 instead of Thursday 19th June 2014. Before their arrival in Ghana, arrangements were already being made with the relevant authorities for the cash to be flown from Ghana to Brazil by National Security.

The landing permit and related issues on the other hand were handled by the Minister and the Ambassador in Brazil, awaiting the arrival of the chartered flight with the cash from Ghana. That first flight failed to materialize.

Again on Tuesday 24th June, the Minister made further arrangements for a second aircraft. At the final stage of filing the coordinates of that second aircraft with the Brazilian Authorities, information was received from Ghana that the aircraft would no longer be able to fly. This made the organizers lose another valuable 24 hours.

The flight challenge was finally resolved on the morning of Wednesday 25th June when a third aircraft carrying the cash meant for the players finally departed, arriving in Brazil on the eve of Ghana’s final group match with Portugal.

Meanwhile the situation at the Players camp had deteriorated by the minute, culminating in Kelvin P. Boateng’s altercation with the Head Coach and Sulley Mundari’s alleged assault of a member of an FA Executive. The team also boycotted crucial training sessions and so failed to prepare for the crucial match.

Deaf ears

While the money was being arranged, the situation at camp deteriorated by the minute. All efforts by the Minister and the FA leadership to persuade the team to continue with the match preparations while awaiting the arrival of the funds fell on deaf ears even though they indicated severally that the $100,000 demanded by them had been approved and arrangements were being made to send the money over.

Also, attempts to draw the players’ attention to the reaction of Ghanaians back home, the effect the boycotting of training would have on their performance in the crucial match, appeals to their sense of patriotism and their own potential gain should they progress, were to no avail.

Indeed President Mahama and the Vice President Amissah-Arthur also added their voice but the players were adamant.

Preparations For Brazil

In view of the fact that government was not in the position to directly sponsor supporters to Brazil, the World Cup Committee resolved to find other means of funding and to ensure that funds so raised were used judiciously.

It is instructive to note that the 2010 World Cup Committee received GH¢3 million as seed money for its preparations but the 2014 Committee started with no seed money.