Ghana Football Association (GFA) has come out to deny media reports that the Black Stars coach Avram Grant has not been paid his salary for the last three months.
The confusion comes just a fortnight before the Black Stars host Uganda Cranes in the 2018 Worldcup qualifiers opener on October 7th.
Incidentally the East African country has also been recovering from a similar saga that erupted immediately after attaining 2017 Afcon qualification on September 4th with head coach Micho blasting the issue on social media.
Avram Grant.
Earlier in the week, media reports from the West African country indicated that Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), who are Black Stars main Sponsors and responsible for the payment of the salary, had halted the payments in adherence to a directive from the sports ministry.
However the GFA has annulled the reports terming them ‘inaccurate’ and further denied of any influence from the country’s ministry of Sports to the former.
“We wish to put it on record that the report is inaccurate as GNPC has been steadfastly resolute and committed to its contractual obligations to the Black Stars,” the statement reads in part.
“The Ministry of Youth and Sports has not sought to influence the implementation of the sponsorship agreement between GNPC and GFA.”
The GFA reaffirmed that Grant is still in charge of the Black Stars as per his contract obligations and that the sponsors GNPC will continue their role headline sponsor of the Senior National Team.
There has been a frosty relationship between the Ghana FA and the ministry of Sports that protracts back to last year. The ministry recently refused to foot bills for the Black stars in their last Afcon 2017 qualifier which they drew one all against Rwanda.
“The GFA wishes to assure Ghanaians that coach Avram Grant is in full charge of the Black Stars and has not expressed any desire of leaving his post.”
World cup qualifier
Ghana and Uganda will square out on Friday 7th October in Tamale in the group E qualifier. The Cranes have already named a 30- man squad for the encounter while their hosts are expected to name anytime soon. Egypt and Congo are the other group members