Was it because I’m black? – Kwasi Appiah questions government’s refusal to pay appearance fee before 2014 World Cup

“One of the major problems we faced at the World Cup was when we had to be given some monies. A lot of Ghanaians think the money belongs to the government but the money is from FIFA, not Ghana.

When you qualify for the World Cup, you are entitled to $8million. In 2006, the government paid the money to the players before the world. 2010, the government again paid because when FIFA pay the $8million it goes to the government not the players.

What baffled me was why in 2006 the government paid because we had a white coach. 2010, there was a white coach and government paid before the tournament and in 2014, a Ghanaian is in charge the government didn’t pay to the players. Was it because I’m a black coach?”

The statement above was made by former Black Stars Kwasi Appiah during the launch of his new book in Kumasi last Friday.

Kwasi Appiah was speaking on the infamous disgrace that befell the country during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Kwasi Appiah was the coach, making his first appearance at the World Cup when players of the Black Stars held the government and the country to ransom over appearances fees which they believe was due them.

Ghana had played two matches already, losing and drawing to the US and Germany respectively when the disaster struck.

A training session ahead of the last match against Portugal ended with reports of Kevin-Prince Boateng showing gross disrespect to the coach.

In the team’s hotel, tempers flew during a meeting between GFA officials and ‘senior members’ of the playing body causing Sulley Muntari to slap one of the management committee members.

The government wanting to avert the impending disgrace announced that it was airlifting cash to Brazil to settle the disgruntled players.

Brazilian media jumped on it and it became a full-blown scandal.

Government’s late intervention did little to impact positively on the team’s performance as the Black Stars exited the tournament with a 2-1 defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

Speaking on the issue for the first time, an aggrieved Kwesi Appiah wondered why the government would do that to a ‘fellow black man’.

Appiah who had a fair share of criticism after the team’s exit is adamant Ghana would have gone far had government settled the players before the start of the tournament.

“For every success, there are so many contributing factors and this is one of them. When we go and players are agitating and angry, it’s because there was no peace in camp”, he said.