Former sports minister, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye
Former sports minister Nii Lantey Vanderpuye has recounted how he overcame an alleged attempt by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to have him snubbed by players of the Black Stars during a match.
Recounting the 2016 incident, Vanderpuye explained that he had suggested to the GFA that local players be used for Ghana’s final AFCON qualifier. This decision, he said, was meant to help the ministry save funds to support other sporting disciplines competing in various qualifying tournaments.
According to Vanderpuye, the Black Stars had already secured qualification, and head coach Avram Grant agreed with the plan, initiating a three-day training camp with local players.
“I called Avram Grant and George Afriyie because [Kwesi] Nyantakyi didn’t want to meet with me. We had already qualified. At the time, we owed the women’s team. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah was leading the Ghana Beach Soccer team for an All-Africa Games qualifier, and the late Boakye was leading the volleyball team to play against Niger.
“They needed funds to travel—by bus, not by air. They were going to drive 48 hours to play and qualify Ghana for the Olympics,” Vanderpuye stated on Pure FM.
“To support these other disciplines, we decided to rely on local players for the Rwanda match. Avram said he could assemble a team, so I asked him to proceed. He camped players from Kotoko, Hearts, and the local Black Stars for three days.”
However, Vanderpuye claimed that the GFA misinformed foreign-based players, telling them that the minister had refused to pay for their tickets.
“The GFA called the players and said, ‘The sports minister doesn’t want you to play, so if you want, pay for your tickets and come.’
“They incited the players against me. During the match, when they [GFA] invited me to join the pre-match formalities and greet the players, I declined. I knew it was a trap, so I avoided it. Later, some players told me what had happened.”
The Black Stars eventually drew the match 1-1, and Vanderpuye refused to pay allowances afterwards.
Nii Lantey Vanderpuye served as Ghana’s Sports Minister from 2015 to 2016.
@osebomedia Nii Lamptey explains the problems he had with GFA. #puresports #ghanatiktok #trending #fyp #foryou #viral #foryoupage #osebomedia #bkb #gfa #blackstars ♬ original sound – Osebomedia
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