Foh-Amoaning fires Ministry, GFA

grA member of the Justice Dzamefe Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Ghana’s 2014 World Cup fiasco, Moses Foh-Amoaning, has taken the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ghana Football Association to task, describing the payment of winning bonus in cash to the Black Stars in far away Rwanda last Saturday as unfortunate and a breach of government’s directives.

The payment of $10,000 to each of the Black Stars players was the outstanding bonus left unpaid in the team’s earlier 7-1 victory over Mauritius in an AFCON qualifying match in Accra last June.

Expressing concern about the alleged payment in cash after the Stars’ 1-0 win over Rwanda’s Amavubis, Mr Foh-Amoaning told the Graphic Sports that the action by the ministry flouted the directives of government’s White Paper that endorsed the Commission’s recommendations that in future no bonuses should be paid in cash.

He also blamed the FA for condoning the ministry’s disregard of the government’s position, by accepting the bonuses paid to them in cash for onward transfer to the players.

“The Justice Dzamefe Commission of Inquiry was established by law and the report was endorsed by a government’s White Paper, so it has become law which should be implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports,” said the ace broadcaster and law lecturer.

He added that it was, therefore, unfortunate for an implementing agent to flout the very law it was supposed to be implementing. “This should not have happened.“

Explaining further, he noted that it was unacceptable the excuse that the FA accepted payment in cash because it was under pressure from the players, because the process of carrying cash to the players in another country was not only risky, but also cumbersome.

“It doesn’t make any sense to fly money to pay players because it is easier and safer to pay them through their banks in Ghana.”