Minister blames GFA for bonus fiasco

The Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Vincent Oppong Asamoah, has blamed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for the delay in paying the Black Stars winning bonus after thrashing Mauritius 7-1 in their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Accra Stadium last month.

According to him, the GFA submitted the budget only after the match and as a result the ministry could not process it on time to pay the players.

In an interview with the Graphic Sports on the sidelines of the National Circuit Championship at the El-Wak Stadium last Saturday, Mr Asamoah said government could not be held responsible for the delay.

"The budget was brought to us after the match and thus couldn't process it on time to pay the team.

"We did not meet the timeline because it had to go through the Chief of Staff at the Presidency before the Ministry of Finance could disburse the funds," said the deputy minister.

When asked whether the delay could affect the team's commitment in subsequent games in the qualifiers, Mr Asamoah noted that, he did not expect that from the team since he believed the players would put patriotism ahead of money.

He stressed on the need for the Black Stars to note that, their bonuses cannot always be paid immediately after a match if their budget haven't been approved.