Ghana FA pays US$ 11m to Sports Ministry

Published on: 01 October 2010

The Ghana Football Association has paid more than US$ 11 million into the accounts of the Ministry of Youth and Sports as monies accrued from the 2010 Fifa World Cup finals, the Graphic Sports reports.

This is in  compliance with a ministerial directive earlier this and the Sports Ministry has acknowledge receipt of payments by the Ghana FA.

Graphic Sports sources say the GFA ordered its bankers to credit the minsitry with the account.

When money hit the coffers of the FA, it requested for a meeting with the Sports Ministry to discuss how the amount will be disbursed as it was the case in 2006.

The FA requested that all outstanding bonuses to be paid the various national teams, like the appearance fee for reaching the last eight of the World Cup, US$ 20,000 each promise by President John Mills as well as the winning bonus for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Swaziland.

There are also bonus arrears for the national Under-17 and 20 female teams after playing at the Fifa World Cup finals this year.

But the Sports Ministry declined and said they would only be granted audience if the money is paid into its account.

"We are tried to in the past 10 years to improve upon the level of trust and confidence between the government on one hand and the GFA and the Black Stars on the other hand,especially when it comes to the payment of bonuses," the Graphic Sports quotes an ananymous source at the Ghana FA.

"What is happening now may affect that relationship as well as the morale in camp. That is why permission is being sought by the GFA to clear those arrears, but as it is now, the Ministry has turned down that request and only time will tell what the ministry will do now that the money has been paid to its chest as directed."

In 2006 when the Black Stars returned home with a reward of US$ 6 million for reaching the last 16 stage, a meeting between the GFA and the Sports Ministry then agreed that an amount of US$ 2.5 million be paid to government to defray the cost incurred in paying appearance fees for the team.

That meeting discussed the disbursement of of the funds which included the acquisition of double-cabin pick-up vehicles for all the ten Regional Football Associations as well as the continuation of projects at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre at Prampram.

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