Black Stars midfielder Andre Ayew says the huge match winning bonues and appearance fees the players receive are justified because of the work that it entails.

Speaking to pressmen ahead of the 2015 African nations Cup qualifier against Uganda on Saturday, Ayew noted that playing for Ghana means fighting for the nation, adding that it is a job that merits payments as well, considering that injuries could occur on national duty. 

“For every Ghanaian player, we love our country; we fight, when we come here it is a job. Not only are we fighting for our country but we’re working. Somebody can come here to play [it has happened before], go back with injury and don’t play for their clubs for like eight months, one year. It is our job so we come, play and are lucky that we can have good money because we have a job that can give us good money.”

The Marseille midfielder says the Black Stars players are not obligated to let the whole world know about their acts of charity, if so required, noting that the public has no idea of what players do for other people when they get the money.

“Charity? I don’t think if myself, Agyeman [Badu], coach or captain are going to do charity, we have to let the whole world know we are going to donate money. Do you know what we’ve done for people here in Ghana or what we do? If I’m going to do charity, it is from my heart and I’m not going to call every media person or anybody to come and see and go to tell in the newspaper I have come to do this or that. I think that’s not how we do charity.”

Ayew, who scored twice during the 2014 World Cup, added that there are several projects the players are involved in, noting that the renumerations from national duty alone sometimes isn’t enough to fund such projects.

He was quick to state that because the players die for the nation, it is right that they are duly renumerated, but added that it is a mistake to equate football with money.

“These are things we have done and are doing. We don’t even use the Black Stars money [alone] to do it. When we get bonuses, we use it here in Ghana; whether on our families, we buy lands, the money stays in our country. We don’t take somebody’s money but when we go out there and play, we get their money and come and use it in our country. What we take from our country, I think we gain it because we die for our country. We love our country but I think money is not football and football is not money. It is two different things; it’s just that it is a game which has become a job for us so I believe that everybody should understand that charity or giving out is things that we do but that doesn’t mean that we should show or call people to come and see what we are doing.”