Osam is well paid’

Contrary to the assumption that Black Stars coach, Fred Osam Duodu, is undertaking the job without any kind of remuneration, the coach has been receiving something “substantial”.

Apart from his salary as the Technical Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), the coach is said to be receiving an additional allowance for being responsible for the national team, sports bi-weekly Graphic Sports reported.

Indeed since last November 2001, coach Osam Duodu has been receiving an allowance almost four times the basic salary paid him for his normal job, according to the paper’s investigations.

The search further revealed that the GFA decided to give Osam Duodu some kind of incentive while awaiting a decision from the ministry of Youth and Sports (MOYS) on his job and situation since the remuneration of senior national team coaches are normally decided and effected by the ministry.

Last week coach Osam-Duodu stirred some controversy when he was alleged to have requested that he be treated like a “white coach” and paid salary equal to that which would be given a foreign coach during an interview wit a journalist from Agence France Presse.

Coach Osam Duodu later came out to deny that he had made such demands, explaining that the French journalist who was not fluent in English had misinterpreted him. A GFA spokesman, however, expressed surprise at coach Osam Duodu’s interview. He said as an ‘internal issue’ the GFA was surprised that the coach went out of his way to make such demands without as much as hinting anyone that he was dissatisfied with the allowance he is being paid.

“Since Osam Duodu is already an employee of the GFA, the two parties could not have entered into a contract on the additional job, and if he really wanted a better contractual agreement the best thing was for him to resign and then apply for the job,” the spokesman stressed.

According to the spokesman, the element of surprise and disappointment were even greater since coach Osam Duodu who had received his additional allowance for November and December expressed satisfaction about the deal and never complained when he received the pay vouchers.