The Black Stars’ third successive World Cup qualification last November fetched players and officials of the team a qualification bonus of US$15,789 each.
This revelation was made by officials of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MOYS) last Monday at their third and final appearance before the Justice Dzamefe Commission probing Ghana’s World Cup campaign.
Messrs Abudulai Yakubu and Prosper Apasu, Chief Director and Chief Accountant respectively of the ministry, further revealed that each of the seven Black Stars management committee members also had an equal share of the booty.
The duo also testified that each of the 23 players earned per diem allowance of $100 at the World Cup in Brazil, while 22 other officials had $150 each as per diem allowance.
As if these were not enough, the approved World Cup budget also featured an item which entitled the 23 players and 10 technical staff to 15 complimentary tickets each from the group stage to the final at $45 per ticket.
Mr Apasu explained to the commission that since the team bowed out at the group stage, bulk complimentary tickets for the Stars’ three group matches were purchased at $135 per head.
According to the budget, players and officials of the team, including officials of the ministry, would have received a qualification bonus of $15,789 and $21,053 in the first round and second round respectively. But Mr Abudulai emphasised, in an answer to a question by Commissioner Moses Foh-Amoaning, that his outfit would not have been among the beneficiaries.
He pointed out that the letter that the MOYS sent to the Chief of Staff to request for funds did not include the ministry.
Other beneficiaries of the Brazil 2014 money were the four scouts — Sam Arday, Otto Addo, Francis Oti Akenten and Mas-Ud Didi Dramani — who were said to have received $10,000 each as honorarium for their roles in assisting Coach Kwasi Appiah in the discharge of his duties.
Aside the honorarium, each scout also had $30,000 each accountable imprest as captured in the budget.
Meanwhile, the former Minister of Youth and Sports, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, will take his turn at 10 a.m. today to brief the commission about how supporters and ambassadors were mobilised to Brazil.
