Ace football analyst, Dr Kofi Asafo Adjei is urging the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to scrap appearance fees for Black Star players during tournaments.

Since Ghana’s first appearance at the World Cup in 2006, Black Stars players have received appearance fee as well as qualification and winning bonuses at various tournaments.

The Black Stars have been in the spotlight recently after the President Akufo-Addo announced the government, together with Cooperate Ghana, was raising $25 million for the Black Stars’ participation at AFCON and the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

The amount, according to the Sports Ministry, is to cover the cost of international friendly and qualifying matches, player and technical team remuneration, as well as other feeding and camping cost relating to the two tournaments.

A large section of the Ghanaian public has expressed disgust at the amount of money being proposed by the government for the two competitions, saying the country has other pressing challenges that needed urgent attention, including lack of adequate medical facilities, good roads and improving the high cost of living.

Commenting on the matter, Dr Kofi Asafo Adjei, who was a member of the CAN 2008 LOC in Kumasi, says the GFA should scrap paying of appearance fees and winning bonuses for the Black Stars.

The medical practitioner is proposing a scheme where players of the Black Stars are rewarded only when they win the ultimate.  

“We should stop paying appearance fees for the team; I don’t understand where that thing is coming from. Winning bonus AND qualification bonus should all be scrapped. That should stop. I was there in 1982 when Ghana won its fourth Nations Cup with the minimum amount of money. A country that by 1984 won the Nations cup four times and been to the finals one three more occasions.

“Out of thirteen Nations Cup competitions we had been to the finals seven times with little money. So why would such a nation then reward players for winning a match at the Nations Cup, or qualifying from the group stage of the Nations Cup? That country should reward people who actually win the trophy,” he said.

The renowned football expert says the Black Stars players have been over pampered and called on the authorities to be bold enough to stop some of the extravagant spending on the team.

“The players can come and demand any amount of money they want but that should be only after they’ve won the competition. They can even demand $100,000 I don’t care, just make it such that they only get that money if they win.

“And I’m sure if they put this in front of Ghanaians they’ll accept it that the players said they want this amount because they won the competition fine won the trophy you come and we give you your money. But not when we go to the Nations Cup and we are runners-up and we come back and we give the players Jeep, give them money in Ghana? Why should this be happening?” he questioned.