Former coach of the Black Stars James Kwesi Appiah has revealed that, players of the Black Stars kept their appearance fees in the dressing room during the third World Cup qualifier against Portugal in Brasilia at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

According to coach Appiah, the players were given the money a night before the match against Portugal and kept them in their hotel rooms before moving them to the dressing room during the match for safe keeping.

The coach who testified before the Justice Senyo Dzamefe Presidential Commission of Inquiry said, some of the players also spent the night before the game against Portugal checking their monies.

Kwesi Appiah said, the circumstances surrounding the money, its payment and the way it was kept in the dressing room affected the players psychologically.

He said, the players were expected to focus on the next game but rather spent the night counting money, as well as had their mind on the money in the dressing room.

The coach said, the performance of the team against Portugal had a direct relation with the money.

He added that, fears that the money could be stolen unsettled the players on the pitch. Ghana lost the game to Portugal with defender John Boye help the opposition's cause with an own goal.

The money which had taken a long time to reach the players after several broken promises distracted the players during its delay. This forced the players to boycott training for the last game.

Interestingly, the arrival of the money also had the same disattracting effect. The $3million cash arrived in camp via a chartered flight from Ghana.

"Having the money was a problem and not having the money was also a problem", Kwesi Appiah observed.