<<Print>>

Indications are that GFA boss, Kwasi Nyantakyi, stabbed President John Mahama in the back by insisting on getting cash flown to the Black Stars players in Brazil last Wednesday because FIFA had given the GFA a better option. According to FIFA, it had clearly indicated to the GFA its willingness to pay players of the Black Stars the amount they had agreed on with the GFA and deduct it later on to end the embarrassing behavior of the players who insisted on being paid their money before playing their Portuguese counterparts. �I was ready to sign a letter, as long as I had a copy of the agreement between the national association and the players that the money would be paid by FIFA by bank transfer into their personal accounts. FIFA would have made sure to deduct the players� money from the prize money paid to the National Association,� FIFA�s General Secretary, Jerome Valcke told the BBC, explaining how the world body wanted to stop the appearance fee row. Though the offer was made to Nyantakyi, he never got back to FIFA indicating the acceptance or otherwise of this offer. Neither did he inform President Mahama of this option from FIFA. Instead, on three occasions, Kwasi Nyantakyi told President Mahama that the players said they would not honour the match against Portugal unless they see the liquid cash itself. Apparently, the players do not trust the GFA to pay them the money after the tournament. To avoid the ignominy of Ghana going down the history books as the first country to have failed to honour its match at the World Cup, President Mahama, in a move he described later as �unconventional� but �necessary� was compelled to charter a plane to fly a total of $3 million to the Black Stars in Brazil. This move eventually saw the players honouring the match against Portugal but losing 1-2. It has been followed by the ridiculing of Ghanaians internationally for flying cash to players in Brazil. If Kwasi Nyantaky had responded to FIFA�s request or had he informed the President of this option, the embarrassment the country is facing would now have been avoided. As it is, Kwasi Nyantakyi, by his conduct in insisting that nothing but cash will see the players honour the match against Portugal when there was a better option has stabbed the President in the back since the President had no choice than to resort to the �unconventional� but �necessary� to fly cash to the players in Brazil. It is difficult to fathom his motive for resorting to this behavior.