Black Stars Bonus Slash Is Disrespectful - Sannie Daara

Ghana FA spokesperson Ibrahim Sannie Daara has labeled the Sports Ministry’s decision to hack the Black Stars winning bonus for the 2017 AFCON as “disrespectful”.

According to Daara, the decision to reduce the proposed amount of GHC 10,000 to GHC8, 000 had never been communicated to the nation’s football governing body, but was rather announced on various radio stations.

The 20% reduction was effected some three months ago and it has been agreed to extend to the final qualifier in September, but Daara believes this modus operandi by Nii Lantey Vanderpuije is rather unfortunate.

“In fact as we speak now the decision has not been communicated to us. We have heard it on radio, the minister saying it on radio. But officially no after two to three months since it was implemented, it is rather unfortunate as managers we were not informed and it is out of the norm”, he told Starr Sports

“We are very unhappy about it, we (GFA) think the talk on radio before even informing us or sometimes not informing us at all is not only counterproductive, but it is actually disrespectful”, he added.

This act by the Sports Ministry has prompted the Ghana FA to request for an emergency meeting with the Sports minister to iron out their differences ahead of future qualifiers.

Source: Starr FM.

Black Stars Bonus Slash Is Disrespectful - Sannie Daara

I Know My Targets - Nii Lantey

The top hierarchy of the Ghana Football Association is excepted meet the Youth and Sports Ministry today to discuss crucial issues including a solution to the rocky relationship between the two bodies.

There were media reports that the meeting which was at the request of the Ghana FA, will touch on a range of issues including how the two bodies can collaborate effectively to ensure a successful qualification campaign for the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The Ghana FA has not had the best of relationships with the Youth and Sports Ministry especially after Nii Lante Vanderpuye was appointed.

“If it’s about the perceived friction between the Ministry and he GFA and not me the individual, think it’s is good we sit down, discuss issues and resolve them.”

“I am focused in my mind and convinced about what I want to achieve for the Ministry and what I want the ministry to achieve for Ghana Football and that that is not negotiable.

“I wish to make sure that we achieve what we are supposed to achieve. That we build structures and ensure accountability and fairness as well as the judicious use of resources in football,” to told Joy FM.

I Know My Targets - Nii Lantey

Afriyie Disagrees With Nii Lantey

The Management Committee Chairman of the senior national team, Black Stars, George Afriyie has disagreed with Sports Minister’s question on why national football teams are paid with winning bonuses.

Hon. Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, Sports Minister, seem to have qualms with the payment of bonus to national football teams while other disciplines are ignored.

In his speech during the 41st Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) awrads night, the Member of Parliament for Odododiodio Constituency quizzed:

“Can someone here tell me why we should pay winning bonuses to the football teams but not pay for other disciplines, are some Ghanaians better than others?”

And the Vice President of the Ghana FA, George Afriyie disagrees with him.

“l totally disagree with the sports minister on that statement, not even a second. We have over 48 division one clubs in Ghana, is it the same as boxing, 16 premier league clubs, is it the same as basketball?” the owner of Division One side, Okyeman Planners quizzed in reaction to Nii Lantey’s comments.

“Football is not competing with other sports disciplines. l don’t dispute that fact. We have talents in the other disciplines but football is developed by the individuals with their own money not the government,” Afriyie added.

“A clear example is Medeama who are projecting the image of Ghana in the CAF Confederation Cup. They are sponsored by an individual.” he said.

Afriyie Disagrees With Nii Lantey

Management Committee Members Don"t Need Bonuses- Sports Minister

The Minister of Youth and Sports Hon. Nii Lantey Vanderpuije has reiterated his decision not to pay bonuses to management committee members of Ghana’s senior national team, the Black Stars.

According to the Ghanaian Member of Parliament, the ministry is going through some financial difficulties at the minute and the committee is made up of well to do individuals do not need the winning bonuses which some members of the Ghana Football Association are fighting for.

Speaking to Starr FM in Accra, Hon. Vanderpuije hinted that, the likes of Mr. Ernest Thompson, a director of SSNIT, Ofosu Bamfo owner of Sikkens and Joseph Yaw Appiah, Mitre ball representative in Ghana, all of whom are part of the committee do not need the remuneration.

“These gentlemen are ready to sacrifice for the nation and therefore don’t need winning bonuses so, however, they are paid per Diems with free air tickets and accommodation”, the minister said.

“How many Ghanaians are privileged to free flight tickets, accommodation and also per diems? This is purely sacrificial and if we should advertise this position, do you know the people who will be included in the committee will fill the Accra Sports Stadium”, Hon. Vanderpuije added.

The issue of winning bonuses for Black Stars management committee members has become a subject of discussion in Ghana’s media circles in the past few months with the sports minister adamant that payments will not be done in that regards.

Management Committee Members Don"t Need Bonuses- Sports Minister

We Will Manage Cape Coast Stadium - Nii Lante Vanderpuye

Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lante Vanderpuye has promised to ensure that the Cape Coast Stadium is well maintained.

Ghana’s national stadia in Accra, Kumasi Tamale and Essipong, which were constructed for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, have been left to deteriorate.

President John Dramani Mahama, who commissioned the Cape Coast multipurpose edifice on Tuesday, charged the Sports Ministry and the National Sports Authority not to allow the facility deteriorate.

And Nii Lante, has promised to ensure that the facility is well catered for.

“I know Ghanaians will be worried this day when we are commissioning this stadium because of the way the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Authority have allowed the earlier ones in Kumasi, Accra, Essipong, and Tamale to deteriorate.

“I stand here today to assure the whole country and in doing so, we are not only going to manage this facility well, but we will fix all the others that have gone bad,” he said.

We Will Manage Cape Coast Stadium - Nii Lante Vanderpuye

GFA ExCo Member Hit Out At Sports Minister

An Executive Committee (ExCo), member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Eddie Doku says he is ready to take on the Youth and Sports Minister, Hon. Nii Lantey Vanderpuije.

Mr Vanderpuije after his appointment as sector Minister, declared he would bring revolution into the running of football in the country.

He has cancelled the payment of honorariums to management members of the senior national team, the Black Stars.

And Mr Doku, Chairman of the local Black Stars has indicated that he would descend into the gutters with the Sports Minister should he continue with his posture towards the football governing body.

“Nii Lantey Vanderpuije talks by heart. As a Minister he needs to talk with decorum. He always talks well during meetings, but whenever he comes out he doesn’t say positive things about the GFA,” he said.

“It would be better if Nii Lantey Vanderpuije tells us our wrongs in our faces, but he doesn’t. However he always tries to wash our dirty linen in public. Everybody has a dirty linen, so I will also wash his if he continues to do that,” Mr Doku warned.

“He should remember that as a Sports Minister, he is supposed to serve the people and not to lord it over them, like what he is doing,” he alleged.

GFA ExCo Member Hit Out At Sports Minister

Photos: IPPR Hands Over Cape Coast Stadium

China IPPR International, contractors of the Cape Coast sports stadium, officially handed over the edifice to the Sports Ministry on Friday.

The multi-purpose edifice which was completed last year, will be commissioned on May 3 after officials handed keys and other documents to the Sports Minister, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije at the  Sports Ministry.

The 15,000 capacity multi-million edifice has 22-room hostel facility, a canteen, kitchen, firefighting room, storage room and many others. 

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The stadium is also a multi-purpose one with two basketball fields, a hand ball court, a tennis court and an indoor facility that can be used to host indoor games.

Photos: IPPR Hands Over Cape Coast Stadium

GFA To Meet Sports Minister

Some members of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) will meet the Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije today to discuss various issues bothering.

Members of the football governing body, were denied bonuses after Black Stars victory over Mozambique last week.

The meeting is expected to find solutions to some of the disagreements over certain policies and directives since the new minister took over at the ministry.

It would be recalled that the Sports Minister told management of the senior national team to convince him to pay them bonuses after the victory over Mozambique.

Some officials wants the Executive Committee members of the association to respect the sports minister’s decision, but others will meet and explained why they deserve they deserve bonuses.

GFA To Meet Sports Minister

Convince Me To Pay You Bonuses - Sports Minister To GFA

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has been told by Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije they will no more receive bonuses.

Executive Committee members of the football governing body in the country, are paid bonuses after Black Stars matches.

But Nii Lantey Vanderpuije, a former boxing promoter and former president of the Weightlifting Federation of Ghana, has told them (GFA) he won’t pay any bonuses to any official of the FA until he’s convinced beyond every reasonable doubt.

“The payment of bonuses to management will have to stop. Apart from players and officials, any other person in the FA should come and convince me why we should pay bonuses to them,” the former sports commentator told Accra-based radio station, Happy FM.

“I have seen that from 2006 till date bonuses have been given to officials including Ministers. There must be a change. I don’t think it is right. It doesn’t make sense to be working for government and the people of Ghana and get paid bonuses.

“If my predecessors used to pay winning bonuses to the management committee of the Black Stars, I am the new man in charge, so they need to convince me on the need to pay them.

“I will do what I think is right and if for that matter they would have problems with me, so be it, he said.

Meanwhile the winning bonus of the playing body of the Black Stars for the last Thursday’s victory against Mozambique was cut down from $10,000 to $8,000, though the Sports Minister refused to confirm the figure the players were given.

Convince Me To Pay You Bonuses - Sports Minister To GFA

Sports Minister Brands Ghanasoccernet.com An Anti-football Development Site

Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije has branded Ghanaian sports website, Ghanasoccernet.com an anti-football development site.

Ghanasoccernet.com, is a website much noted for criticizing heads of the various associations in football.

According to Hon. Vanderpuije, the website, owned by Communication Director of the Ghana Football Association, Ibrahim Saani Daara, is an anti-football development website.

The former sports broadcaster alleged that since he was appointed Sports Minister to replace Dr. Mustapha Ahmed in February, writers have written articles in an attempt to break him down, but he has promised them that the articles will only make him stronger and that he will respond to them at the appropriate time.

“Who owns Ghanasoccernet or whatever their name is?” Mr Vanderpuije quizzed in an interview with Accra-based radio station, Happy FM.

“Do they want the best for Ghana football? Since the time I was appointed until the time the Black Stars played Mozambique, they have written articles and features about me,” he said.

“They think writing such articles and features will break me down. I can also write, I can talk… all the things they are doing, I can do same and even better so their write ups can not break me and can never break me. It will rather make me stronger,” he boosted.

Nii Lantey Vanderpuje Said he won’t run away from any fight and promised to give them a response at the appropriate.

“I don’t run away from fights, they should continue with whatever they are doing,” he promised.

“But they can only do that at Ghanasoccernet. I will give them a response at the appropriate time. My response will be on a much bigger platform,” he stated.

Sports Minister Brands Ghanasoccernet.com An Anti-football Development Site

I Will Not Determine Bonuse For National Teams -Sports Minister

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Nii Lantey Vanderpuije says he will not interfere with issues of bonuses for sports federations in the country.

The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation sports commentator said the ministry is cash-trapped and federations under the sector must engage with corporate bodies for sponsorship to supplement whatever the ministry will give them.

“I have for the past being saying that I don’t and I will not determine issues of bonuses for sports in this country; I am referring to only footballers, the boxers will have to get bonus, the Black Maidens, the people who are competing in the Judo and everyone will have to get bonuses.

“Every sector deserve bonuses, if we don’t have the money, what do we do? So my policy is that we say it as it is; all of us must sit down as a family, discuss it with all the sports federations and ask ourselves how we can share what we have,” Nii Lantey told SWAG members last Monday.

“If federation will need more than what is given to them, then they have to go looking for the money from corporate sponsorship and other activities to support.

“We cannot tell which sporting discipline will be giving Ghana gold at the Olympics. It could be swimming, judo, it could even happen that our 100m runner goes to the Olympics and all the favourites gets muscle pull and he wins the gold.

“So it should not be within our power to determine which sporting discipline should should supported and which one should not be supported.” He said.

I Will Not Determine Bonuse For National Teams -Sports Minister

Ghana"s Contingent To Rio Will Need GHc 26M - Nii Lantey

Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije has revealed that Ghana’s contingent to this year’s Rio Olympics will need about GHc 26 million for the trip.

The Sports Ministry according to the minister, have only GHC 7 million for all sports federations for the year after breaking down the amount approved for the sector by the government of Ghana.

Laying bare the challenges at the Sports Ministry, Hon. Vanderpuije called on the media to support and avoid negative publicity about sports in the country to help attract corporate sponsors.

“We will need about GHc 26 million for our Olympics team to be able to go to Rio. How do we manage?, he asked.

“It will call for prudence,  it will call for ingenuity, it will call for support, and you (journalists) are the ones who can do this for us. We want to seek for your support to get the corporate bodies out there to come to our aid,” he added.

The former broadcast-journalist noted, “the budget is not only for sports, it is for Youth and Sports so if we take out the ones for our youth training sectors for the programmes at the National Sports Authority, just about GHc 4 million will be left”.

“The Black Maidens and the upcoming Black Stars match against Mozambique will drop all the GHc 4m; I am being frank with you,” he said.

Hon. Nii Lantey Vanderpuije also added that he won’t interfere with issues of bonuses. He wants to organise an open forum for all heads of the various federations and explain issues to them.

“I have for the past been saying that I don’t and I will not determine issues of bonuses for sports in this country; I am referring to only sports for men and women, the boxers will have to get bonus, the Black Maidens, the people who are competing in the Judo and everyone will have to get bonuses,” he made known.

“Every sector deserve bonuses, if we don’t have the money, what do we do? So my policy is that we say it as it is; all of us must sit down as a family, discuss it with all the sports federations and ask ourselves how we can share what we have,” he stated.

Ghana"s Contingent To Rio Will Need GHc 26M - Nii Lantey

Sports Ministry Is Broke - Nii Lantey

Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije has said that the finances available at the Ministry is inadequate.

The Youth and Sports Ministry were given GHc 22m for the year 2016 by the Parliament of Ghana.

But Hon. Vanderpuije says this money is not enough to meet the demands of all sectors under it.

“The Sports Ministry is broke. I am saying this because tomorrow (in future) someone will come and accuse me of not saying it as it is when I assumed office so you may think that I am giving excuses,” the former sports broadcaster/journalist said in a meeting with the Sports Writers Association of Ghana.

“I need the support of the media in order to let people appreciate these difficulties. The total budget of the ministry is GHc 22m, but out of that, GHc 11m is for compensation –  salaries of workers not only at the Ministries, but all the agencies under us  – the Sports College, the Youth sectors and the National Sports Authority.

“GHc 4m is for goods and services,  so what is left to undertake all sports programmes for the year is only GHc 7m.

“The budget for all national teams alone is about GHc 42m. We will need about GHc 26m for our Olympics team to be able to go to Rio. How do we manage?” He quizzed.

Nii Lantey said it will require prudence and ingenuity to be able to meet the requirements of all the sporting associations in the country.

Sports Ministry Is Broke - Nii Lantey

Nothing Is Working At S. Ministry -Hon Asiamah Warns Nii Lantey

Member of Parliament for Atwima Mponua constituency, in the Ashanti retion, Hon. Isaac Asiamah has warned the minister designate for sports, Hon. Nii Lantey Vanderpuye he is going into an office where nothing seems to be working.

The Sports Ministry has a history of consistent reshuffling and Isaac Asiamah believes Nii Lantey will not survive at the ministry because he will not do anything different from what his predecessors have done which were saddle with bribery and corruption.

“Nii Lantey Vanderpuye will certainly fail as sports minister because he belongs to the same team of incompetence,” He told Happy FM.

“I don’t see any good thing coming out of his appointment especially when he has little time on his side to work effectively.

“He is coming to work in a system where nothing seems to be working, and also saddled with bribery and corruption.” he alleged.

Hon. Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, a former amateur boxer, footballer and a sports broadcater, was recently vetted by the Appointments Committee of Parliament and is awaiting final approval to commence his new role.

Nothing Is Working At S. Ministry -Hon Asiamah Warns Nii Lantey