Ex-Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has admitted that the delayed payment in appearance fees to the Black Stars players had a psychological effect on the team at the 2014 World Cup.
Ghana crashed out of the tournament for the first time without getting past the group stage in Brazil.
The Black Stars impressed in their second group game against Germany having suffered a bitter defeat in their Group G opener against the USA.
Coach Kwesi Appiah’s side slumped to another disappointing defeat against Portugal in their final group game to ultimately crash out of the tournament without picking up a win.
Many have attributed Ghana’s poor showing to the delayed payment of the US$100,000 appearance fees promised to the players for the World Cup.
And Stephen Appiah who was a member of the backroom staff of the Black Stars says the delayed payments in the monies promised indeed played on the minds of the players.
“I arrived in Holland on the day of the match so I didn’t talk to the players or see anything but when we went to Miami, they [the players] were talking about the money and that no action has been taken,†Appiah told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on Thursday.
“Seeing their training in Miami it didn’t seem that it [not getting appearance fees] bothered them.
“It was obvious what was going on but I had several meetings with the coach Kwesi Appiah where we discussed these issues.
“When you go to a tournament and there are things you are expecting or when there are problems to be solved and they are not solved, it creates….â€