CHAN 2022: Sports Ministry breaks silence on Black Galaxies bonus issues

Deputy Sports Minister, Evans Opoku Bobbie has said that its Ministry did not agree on a $5000 and $10,000 qualification bonus for the Black Galaxies at the ongoing Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament.

The minister said this following the alleged rift in the camp of Ghana over the player’s disappointment with the government over its financial obligation to them.

In an interview, Mr. Bobbie asserted the Sports Ministry did not promise to pay $5000 and $10,000 as qualification bonuses to the Black Galaxies as purported to be.

Earlier reports in the media suggested, $5,000 and $10,000 were promised for the players and the head coach respectively.

But the deputy Sports Minister has denied it, saying his outfit did not approve to pay the said amount.

“The GFA brought their budget to the Ministry in relation to the Galaxies, promising the players $5,000 and $10,000 for the Head Coach when the Ministry had not approved the said amount.

“The Ministry approved of $3,000 for the players and $6,000 for the Head Coach and informed the GFA to let the team be in the known but after 48 hours, they were not able to do so”.

“As a Ministry, we cannot pay what has been promised but what is on paper. The GFA officials should have waited for the approval before they informed the players”.

“So the coaches informed us of some displeasure among the players and that was the reason we needed to come in to speak to the senior players [Awako, Barnieh and Danlad]. The players have each received their cheques of $3,000”, Evans Opoku Bobie explained.

The Black Galaxies will face Niger in the quarter-final of the CHAN on Saturday in Oran.