President John Dramani Mahama has acknowledged that the decision to fly cash to Brazil to pay the Black Stars during the 2014 World Cup dented Ghana’s international image.
Speaking on lessons from the incident in an interview with Sporty FM’s Gary Al-Smith, President Mahama explained that tensions had arisen between the players, the Ghana Football Association (GFA), and the government over payment delays. The players refused to train or play until they received their allowances in cash.
In an effort to prevent the team from being demoralized and to ensure Ghana’s continued participation, the government decided to airlift the money to Brazil.
The President noted that the incident created suspicion among the parties involved, as the players believed that funds meant for them might be diverted.
He emphasized that valuable lessons had been learned from the experience and assured that such a situation would not happen again.
President Mahama added that the GFA had been encouraged to process payments to players promptly to maintain trust and discipline in future tournaments.
He stressed that the matter was now behind the nation, with focus shifting to transparency and proper management in future World Cup campaigns.
By: Jacob Aggrey
