“Black Stars Management Committee members were on $10,000 as a winning bonus, while players were on $5,000,” he revealed. “Previous administrations were paying winning bonuses to management committee members of the national teams. The Sports Ministry has decided not to pay winning bonuses to the management team members of the national teams.”

The Minister explained that players will now receive a $150 per diem, while technical team members will earn $200. These allowances, he clarified, will be paid in dollars only during away games, with the local currency used for home matches. “The only time payment is done in dollars is when you are paying per diem for away games,” he said.

Mr Adams also revealed that the GFA’s initial budget of $2 million for the two upcoming World Cup qualifiers had been reduced to $1.3 million after review. The estimate for the Chad fixture alone was cut from over $1 million to $860,000. “Flight tickets presented to the Sports Ministry are always higher than what is required. Since I took over, we have reviewed and even used alternative means to buy the tickets,” he explained.

Otto Addo’s Black Stars have departed for N’Djamena, where they will face Chad on Thursday, September 4, before hosting Mali at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday, September 8. Ghana currently lead Group I with 15 points, three ahead of Comoros.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has responded to the Minister’s briefing, urging Ghanaians to remain focused on the matches before further comment is made. “We deem it prudent at this time to maintain our collective focus on the immediate national task at hand,” the GFA said in a statement, promising to issue clarifications after the Mali game.