Former Minister of Youth and Sports under the John Mahama administration, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, is calling for a reduction in the appearance fee paid to the Black Stars when they play in the World Cup tournament.
Ghana has paid appearance fees to the Black Stars at major tournaments dating back to when the country first qualified for the World Cup in Germany 2006.
During the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, players of the senior national team boycotted training and threatened not to play the final group match against Portugal if their appearance fee was not paid in full.
Speaking in an interview on Luv FM in Kumasi, the former Sports Minister said there is the need to draw a balance between rewarding and compensating players at tournaments.
He stressed that the huge appearance fee paid to players need to be reviewed downwards.
“As a country, you need to have a balance between rewarding and compensating your players. It is their profession, yes, that’s what they live on but at the same time you have to also look at the current situation. I think that this huge appearance fee is a no no, so we have to balance it. Don’t forget that these guys are breadwinners, they have so many dependants and people who look up to them. So, you definitely have to give them something, but not such a huge sum of money like $100,000,” he stressed.
Mr. Afriyie Ankrah believes the players should be willing to play for their country and not be so concerned about the monetary aspect.
“Even more is the attitude; it should be more of the pride to play for your country and then you are given something decent which is agreed to by all the parties,” he stated.
