Ghana’s Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has firmly refuted reports suggesting that Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has gone unpaid for nine months, insisting that the outstanding amount represents only a portion of the coach’s agreed salary, not the full sum being widely reported.
Recent media speculation claimed the 50-year-old tactician had not received his wages for an extended period, raising concerns over government commitment to national team contracts. However, Adams, speaking in an interview with Citi Sports, moved to set the record straight, explaining that while some arrears exist, the situation has been misrepresented.
According to the minister, payment delays affecting a number of national team coaches stem from a transition in how their salaries are handled. He acknowledged the backlog but emphasized that steps are being taken to introduce a more reliable and transparent payment structure.
“That’s true, we owed a number of the coaches, and we are looking for a structured system for payment of the coaches. In the past, before I became minister, some of these coaches, especially the coach, the expatriate coaches of the women’s national team, were paid from the sponsorship fund that goes to the FA,” he said.
Adams explained that this arrangement has since been overhauled, with the government assuming full responsibility for all coaching salaries. Under the new system, payments are processed through the Ministry of Finance, which now authorizes and releases the funds.
“That has since changed now, all that has been offloaded onto government, and so we have submitted the details. The finance minister has since approved the payments, and the payments, even per the contract, are supposed to be in arrears,” he added.
Focusing specifically on Otto Addo’s situation, the minister clarified that the Black Stars coach’s contract includes a payment structure that has been largely misunderstood by the public.
“For the head coach, we pay him 50% ahead of time. So, at the beginning of the year, 50% of his salary was paid ahead. So, what he is owed is actually 50%, not the full salary. So, what you pay him is just 50% also for every other month. So, it is not the full salary that is owed to the head coach,” Adams said.
Adams further revealed that the government resumed payments in March, following a public commitment to settle outstanding obligations owed to national team coaches.
“So, we paid after March and also paid him 50% of the 12-month salary that is due him. So, what you now owe him is post-March 50% of salary because you would have paid the other 50% for January, February, and March. So, you now owe him only 50% of the remaining months,” he concluded.
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The minister’s clarification aims to quell concerns surrounding the treatment of the Black Stars technical team, as Ghana continues preparations for upcoming international assignments.
