Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif
Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif

Youth and Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, has said the incentives and other bonuses of the Black Stars will be made public when the team lands in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.

The packages and budget for the team ahead of the Mundial is yet to be made known by the Ghana Football Association [GFA] and the Sports Ministry.

However, Hon. Ussif, speaking in an interview, shared that negotiations have been held with the players and a budget has been made available to cater for the team’s needs throughout the tournament.

According to him, the Black Stars’ bonuses will remain the same as what they received in Brazil eight years ago due to the current economic situation in the country.

“We have negotiated with the Black Stars on all their incentives as far as this World Cup is concerned but once we get to the tournament, we will make it public to Ghanaians,” Mr Ussif said during the Walk of the Legends event over the weekend.

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“Everybody will know how much the Black Stars are going to take. What we have indicated to them is that we are not going to increase what they had in Brazil, so whatever they had in Brazil stays because of the current economic circumstances.

“We have budgeted for the entire tournament, and where we are going to reach will determine how much we are going to spend, so until we finish the tournament we can’t tell you how much we’re going to spend. But we have a budget estimated for the entire tournament.”

Ghana will face a difficult test in Qatar, having been paired alongside Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea in Group H.

The Black Stars will open the tournament against Cristiano Ronaldo and co. before taking on South Korea and will close the group with a clash against Uruguay.

It will be recalled that Ghana’s participation in the 2014 World Cup was blighted by issues of delayed bonuses, with players even threatening a boycott before the country’s final group game against Portugal.

There was also an episode where players clashed with management members and coaches, as the team crashed out at the group stages in Brazil.

Ghana will open camp on November 10 at Abu Dhabi and will take on Switzerland in their final preparatory game on November 17.