I have asked my lawyers to deal with ‘disrespectful’ GFA – Kwasi Appiah
The former Ghana coach feels the country's FA doesn't care about settling his arrears.
Immediate-past Black Stars coach, James Kwasi Appiah has bemoaned what he describes a disrespectful posture from the Ghana Football Association over issues relating to his salary arrears.
The ex-Ghana international’s second term as coach of the senior national team came to an end on December 31, 2019 with the new GFA leadership refusing to offer him a new contract.
But Appiah left the scene owed salaries and bonuses amounting to $185,000.
Per Kwasi Appiah’s claims sighted by Footy-Ghana.com, he last received his $35,000-a-month-pay for July 2019 – meaning he is owed 5 months (August to December).
Kwasi Appiah is also owed winning bonus for his last competitive game in charge of the Black Stars – the 1-0 away win over Sao Tome and Principe in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. He is entitled to a $10,000 performance bonus – i.e. twice the amount paid each player.
In March 2020, the GFA ensured its former employer hand over all its properties that came with his appointment such as official car and residence but has failed to settle the $185,000 the coach demanded in return to date.
Speaking to Starr FM Sports, Kwasi Appiah said: “I left in December last year [and] I decided to keep quiet on my salary issues all these while.
“But I think if you work with someone and you are no more, the best way is to give the person whatever he deserves and then he goes away.
“I still kept quiet but it’s been three months now they’ve not paid. The question is: ‘how am I going to feed my family?’
“I quite remember when they took over, Dr. Kofi Amoah gave them $1,000,000 and I even understand there is also some $500,000 from Fifa or whatever. The bottom line is you should look at the essential ones and try and sort it out.
Appiah is not enthused by the GFA’s lack of response to his attempts to retrieve the money due him, hence asked his solicitors Sory@Law to head to the court or Fifa.
“It looks like they don’t care. This is money I have worked for and they are not telling me anything which I feel doesn’t show a sign of respect and I think that my lawyers need to deal with it. So it’s either they will take it to the court or Fifa.
The GFA hasn’t called me, neither has the Ministry,” he lamented.
CK Akonnor has since replaced Kwasi Appiah as head coach of the Ghana senior national team.
