A total of $1,489,432 was spent on winning bonuses for both players and technical staff in the Black Stars’ short-lived 2019 African Cup of Nations campaign in Egypt.
This is despite the Black Stars winning only one game at the tournament.
The Black Stars, however, finished top of their group which also included Benin, Cameroon and Guinea Bissau.
A breakdown of the amount shows that the players – 23 of them – were given a total of $965, 405, working out to $41,974 for each player.
The technical team, made up of the coach and his assistants were given $347,027 in winning bonuses.
A group labelled as “additional technical staff” were also paid $177,000 in winning bonuses.
This was revealed when the Sports Minister, Isaac Asiamah, appeared before Parliament to answer questions on the 2019 AFCON budget and the performance of the Black Stars at the tournament.
He revealed that an amount of $6,365,033.84 was budgeted for the Black Stars, out of which $4, 564, 352.00 was spent from the team’s training tour to their Round of 16 exit.
This also included expenses of $1,143,519 on accommodation and $41,750 on match tickets.
A number of issues were raised about the budget for the senior national team’s accounts for the continental showpiece with a number of figures, including as much as $15m, being mentioned.
Mr. Asiamah provided some clarity on exactly how much was allocated to the team and how much was spent at the tournament, with the Black Stars crashing out earlier than many had expected but it’s unlikely that too many people will be pleased.
Speculation had been rife since the end of the AFCON, which was eventually won by Algeria, that a number of fans and journalists were flown to Egypt by the government.
Citi Sports also understands that despite the Black Stars’ early return, a number of those supporters and journalists were forced to remain in Cairo as their return tickets were only viable after the tournament ended.
Ghana’s total expenses at the AFCON 2019
- Airfare – $924,168
- Per diem, players – $187,050
- Per diem, technical staff – $129, 600
- Per diem, additional technical staff – $90,750
- Winning bonus, players – $965, 405
- Winning bonus, technical – $347,027
- Winning bonus, additional technical staff – $177,000
- Accommodation – $1,143,519
- Feeding – $419,300
- Match Tickets $41,750
- Medicals – $44,574
- Visa Fees – $8,541
- Internal Transportation -$43,092
- Incidentals – $42,576
The Black Stars finished top of their group at the AFCON drawing their first two games against Benin and Cameroon before a 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau set up a Round of 16 tie against Tunisia.
After a 1-1 draw in regulation time, the game remained tied after extra-time and went on to penalties, where Tunisia prevailed.