Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council Member, Dr. Ransford Abbey, has justified the financial compensation received by members of the Black Stars Management Committee during their participation in international tournaments.
Dr. Abbey made these remarks during a Parliamentary Select Committee hearing on Sports, Culture, and Tourism, which called the GFA to account for various football-related issues in the country.
Abbey, who is also the CEO of Ghana Premier League side Kpando Heart of Lions, spoke in the presence of GFA President Kurt Okraku, GFA General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo, and other GFA Executive Council members. His defense of the committee’s remuneration echoed sentiments previously expressed by Okraku.
The discussion comes after reports that members of the Black Stars Management Committee each received $100,000 during Ghana’s participation in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Former GFA Technical Director Francis Oti Akenteng had criticized the high level of compensation, but Dr. Abbey defended the payments, stating, “People hold people responsible when there’s failure. Why must these people not be recognized when there is success? If you think that it is okay to hold people responsible when there is failure, why must you not see it as okay to reward those people when there is success?”
The committee was also part of the delegation to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where Ghana’s contingent spent $3 million despite an early exit from the tournament at the group stage.
