The payment of appearance fee to players of the senior national football team, Black stars and other national athletes is a non -starter and must be scrapped by the Sports ministry, according to Chairman of the Ghana Olympic committee, Prof. Francis Dodoo.
Government through the sports ministry have had to pay extravagant amounts to athletes especially players of the Black Stars for appearing at major tournaments like the FIFA world cup.
The Black Stars were paid $100,000 apiece as appearance fee at the 2014 FIFA world cup in Brazil. This means the 23 –man squad bagged $2.3 million just for appearing.
Each player also received $70,000 appearance fee during the 2010 mundial in South Africa whereas $50,000 was paid to each player at the 2006 world cup in Germany.
The former Ghana triple jumper wants the sport minister to cancel the payment of appearance fee with immediate effect.
‘I really don’t think we should pay anybody appearance fee to compete for Ghana. I don’t think its right. We have always talked about national pride, so if people are coming to compete for their country, I think they should come to compete for the right reason which is national pride. ‘
‘You don’t pay people just to come and wear the national colours, come on! If I had the power, I would not be afraid to scrap it ’he told Takoradi based Empire FM.
The chairman of the Ghana Athletics association who was speaking on Ghana’s biggest weekend sports show, Sportsworld however approved a bonus structure instead.
‘When they do well like win the world cup, an Olympic medal or bronze at the Africa Championships, there should be bonus structures for that’ he said.
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