George Afriyie, a former Vice President of the Ghana Football Association, has made some allegations regarding the absence of legendary Ghanaian footballer Sammy Osei Kuffour from the management committee of the Black Stars.
In a Peace FM interview, George Afriyie alleged that Sammy Kuffour was sidelined by the Ghana Football Association because he declined to return a percentage of the $100,000 paid to each member of the management committee during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
George Afriyie also claimed that Colonel Kwadwo Damoah was banished from the committee because he could not be manipulated by some high-ranking officials at the FA.
“It is now an open secret that Sammy Kuffour was removed from the Black Stars management committee because he refused to return a percentage of the $100,000 they received during the World Cup. We did not hear from Colonel Damoah. Randy Abbey defended them before Parliament, saying they deserve to be paid. Meanwhile, the leader had taken the $100,000,” he said.
The issue of payment of monies to officials of the GFA became topical again after Dr. Randy Abbey, a member of the Executive Council of the FA, mounted a spirited defence of the practice.
Appearing before the parliamentary select committee on sports, Dr. Abbey justified that just as the committee members suffer backlash when the team performs poorly, they deserve to be rewarded for their contributions.
“We pay a bonus for recognition of success. So success has been achieved, and we think that it ought to be rewarded. And so we identify those who are responsible for the success and then reward them. Is that not the case?
“Now, I always ask, in this country, when the Black Stars fail to perform, what’s the first name that is mentioned? It’s the GFA president. People hold others responsible when there’s a failure. Why should these individuals not be recognized when there’s success?
“If you think it is okay to hold people responsible when there’s failure, why should these individuals not be recognized when there’s success? Why should these individuals not be recognized when there’s failure? Why should you not see it as okay to reward those people when there’s success?” he quizzed.
Sammy Kuffour who was a member of the management committee of the Black Stars left his role before the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
According to the FA, Sammy Kuffour resigned to focus on his role at the Professional Football Association of Ghana (PFAG).
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