The Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has moved to explain the delay in paying the Black Stars the outstanding component of their 2026 FIFA World Cup bonuses, insisting the hold-up is a matter of unresolved tax liability rather than any unwillingness on the part of government to pay the players what they are owed.
Speaking on the matter, the Minister said government had already disbursed appearance fees to the players that exceed, by $100,000, the value of the bonuses still outstanding, a figure he presented as evidence that the delay cannot be read as a refusal to pay.
According to Mr Adams, the outstanding sum has not been released because the Ghana Football Association and its partners are still engaging FIFA on the tax treatment of the payments, specifically whether the tax obligation falls on the individual players or on the member association and, by extension, the country as host-country tax arrangements with FIFA are finalised.
We haven’t paid because we need to settle the matters of taxes. Whether it’s going to be the responsibility of individual players to pay the tax, or it’s going to be the responsibility of the member association, and by extension the country, to pay those taxes.” Kofi Adams, Minister for Sports and Recreation
Mr Adams explained that once that question is resolved, the appropriate deductions will be applied and the remaining balance paid to the players without further delay. “Once we conclude on that, then we know whose responsibility it is, then the appropriate deductions is done and the remainder of the money gets paid,” he said, adding that this process accounts for the current state of affairs.
The Minister also pushed back on framing the players’ commitment to the national team primarily around financial reward. Motivation, he argued, should not always be reduced to money, questioning who among the players would have represented the country at all if compensation were the sole driver.
He further noted that he had expected the Ghana Football Association’s Director of Communications to have given a fuller explanation of why the Black Stars are yet to receive the final component of their bonuses, given that the Director is aware FIFA continues to engage host countries on outstanding tax questions.