By Kwame Bediako
The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was a grand stage for Ghana’s Black Stars to showcase their skills, but what went unnoticed by many Ghanaians was the hefty sum of $5.4 million spent on appearance fees. According to an intercepted memo obtained by Joy Sports, written by the General Secretary of the Ghana Football Association, Proper Harrison Addo, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) had budgeted for an additional 28 people to receive appearance fees, taking the total number of beneficiaries to 54.
The breakdown of the appearance fees is staggering. Each of the 26 players in the squad received a whopping $100,000, which is understandable given the magnitude of the tournament. However, the additional 28 individuals who received appearance fees raises eyebrows. Who were these individuals, and what was their role in the team’s World Cup campaign? The memo reveals that Otto Addo’s “Personal Assistant” received a honorarium of $20,000, the same amount as Ghana’s scouts and the head of delegation for the tournament.
Another monitored item on the GFA’s budget was the cost of air tickets to transport the Black Stars players to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The GFA budgeted to pay $7,000 for each player, which raises questions about the logic behind this decision. How could the plane tickets cost the same for each player when they flew to the UAE from different parts of the world?
The memo also reveals a suspicious honorarium for the purse holder, who was penciled down to earn $10,000 for doing what would essentially have been the same job the Finance Ministry pays them for. This raises questions about the high-level collusion between the Finance Ministry, Sports and Recreation Ministry, and the GFA. It appears that there was a deliberate attempt to siphon funds from the state, and the GFA’s budget was used as a conduit to channel these funds to individuals who may not have been directly involved in the team’s World Cup campaign.
The $5.4 million spent on appearance fees is a staggering amount, especially considering the economic challenges facing Ghana. The country’s football fans deserve to know how their money was spent and what benefits the country derived from participating in the World Cup. The GFA must come clean and provide a detailed breakdown of how the $5.4 million was spent.
The revelations in the memo also raise questions about the accountability and transparency of the GFA. How could such a large sum of money be spent without proper oversight and accountability? The GFA must take steps to ensure that such abuses do not occur in the future and that the country’s football resources are used for the benefit of the sport and the nation.
The $5.4 million spent on appearance fees is a scandal that requires a thorough investigation. The GFA must come clean and provide a detailed breakdown of how the money was spent. The country’s football fans deserve to know the truth, and the GFA must take steps to ensure that such abuses do not occur in the future.
Detail of the budget below:
