Addressing the matter publicly, the Minister said he had chosen not to comment earlier because he considered some of the issues raised to be internal matters best resolved quietly while the Ministry worked through them.
However, with the payment records clear, he said it was necessary to set out the facts.
“When clearly we have paid them what is due them, as far as the Ministry is concerned, I wasn’t heard. We don’t pay per diem in advance. We paid you for the group stage on the 29th. Here is the list and those who signed for it.”Hon. Kofi Adams, Minister of Sports and Recreation
Per Diem Payments Broken Down
According to the Minister, the Black Queens were paid their group-stage per diem on the 29th, with a signed list of recipients available as evidence. After the team was eliminated from the tournament on the 9th, the Ministry again paid the players an additional round covering the period from the 8th to the 14th August to cover the extra days the squad remained in camp ahead of a play-off fixture against Côte d’Ivoire.
Mr Adams explained that under normal circumstances, a team eliminated from a tournament is only entitled to per diem for the following day before departure. Because the Black Queens were required to stay on for the play-off match, the Ministry extended payment to cover those additional days.
He further confirmed that a subsequent payment was made to the players after the 14th of August.
“Under normal circumstances, once you are kicked out from a tournament, you are only paid the next day per diem and you must be out. But because they are still spending additional days there to play, we have to pay them even further. And they were paid again after the 14th of August. So we don’t owe them any per diem.”Hon. Kofi Adams, Minister of Sports and Recreation
Payment Timeline, According to the Minister
- 29th: Group-stage per diem paid, with a signed recipient list.
- 9th: Team eliminated from the tournament.
- 8th–14th (Friday): Additional per diem paid to cover extended camp days for the Côte d’Ivoire play-off.
- After the 14th: A further payment made to the players.
The 2025 Precedent, Explained
Much of the controversy, the Minister said, stems from comparisons players have drawn with the reward package given to the team after last year’s tournament. He recalled that in 2025, before he had assumed his current role, officers of the Ministry engaged the team on his behalf. He personally held a video conference with the players ahead of their quarterfinal fixture, urging them to win and promising to reward them appropriately.
At the group stage that year, the team had won one match, drawn one, and lost one, but still qualified for the knockout rounds. As an incentive ahead of the quarterfinal, Mr Adams said he pledged that if the team won that match, all three group-stage fixtures would be treated as wins for bonus purposes rather than the single win they had actually recorded.
“Usually it’s a winning bonus what you win is what you get paid for. But last year, in order to further motivate them, I said: they played three matches at the group stage, they won only one, but if they go and win the quarterfinal for me, I will treat all three group-stage matches as if they won all of them.”Hon. Kofi Adams, Minister of Sports and Recreation
That pledge, he said, effectively tripled the group-stage winning bonus the team would otherwise have earned, on the condition that they progressed by winning the quarterfinal which they did.
Why This Year Is Different
The Minister said he repeated the same offer to the team this year during a camp visit, and even indicated the reward would be enhanced, given that the 2026 edition of WAFCON also served as World Cup qualification and therefore carried greater national significance than the previous year’s tournament.
However, the outcome differed: the Black Queens won only one match at the group stage, enough to qualify for the quarterfinal, but lost that fixture unlike in 2025, when they progressed past the same stage.
“Unfortunately, they won one game at the group stage and qualified for the quarterfinal, and lost the quarterfinal. So if you didn’t win the quarterfinal as you did in 2025, you don’t expect me to now treat you with the 2025 standard when you didn’t fulfil that same standard.”Hon. Kofi Adams, Minister of Sports and Recreation
A Call for the Team to Regroup
Turning to the team’s broader prospects, the Minister described the Black Queens as one of Ghana’s most stable and strong national teams, but noted that the side has not qualified for a FIFA Women’s World Cup in a long period. He said he believed that record could and should be broken, and called on the players to put themselves together as the country pursues that goal.
On the welfare concerns raised by members of the team, Mr Adams maintained that the Ministry had fully discharged its responsibilities. He acknowledged, however, that any outstanding matters would relate to sponsorship obligations rather than payments owed directly by the Ministry.