Nii Lantey Vanderpuye: Sports Minister to scrap bonuses for management members

Youth and Sports minister, Honourable Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye , has reiterated his decision to cut the payment of any remuneration to management committees of all seven national football teams. Vanderpuye's appointment has come with immediate decisions and posture that has brought back a political turf war between the Ghana Football Association and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MOYS). 

Top of all raging issues is the abolishing of the "co-efficient" financial package enjoyed by members of management committees. Vanderpuye reveals in an interview with Takoradi based Melody FM that he knows he has disgusted some people with that decision but more so, the puzzle he's yet to understand is the work of the Ghana Football Association itself which government has entrusted the national teams into its management. 

"I know some people are not been very happy with this my decision on the management committees. Let me tell you something here. The FA has been given the mandate to manage football in this country including the national teams. So if the FA also hands over the management of our national teams to another committee then what work is the FA doing. 

"Let's ask ourselves. Because the Premier League is handled by the PLB, the Division One League by the Division One League Board, there is a National Juvenile Committee, the Women's League Board, all the seven national teams have a management committee so what work is the FA is doing?" he quizzed. 

He further said:
"I believe in delegation of powers. What does the acronym GFA stands for? Ghana Football Association. So as an association what are you supposed to do? You pay dues to belong to an association. Nobody pays you money for belonging to an association. So why should I approve of payment of money to people within an association.'

Vanderpuye categorically stated again that he will not pay any money until the GFA convinces him with a justification. 

"Even that one I didn't say I won't pay. I said for accountability purposes people should justify to me why I should pay. I can't just get up and approve things. It is not the number of people.

"If you justify to me that you deserve this payment I will approve it. As at now no one has justified to me. I will not pay any bonus. I don't care what it is. Not only bonus, I will not pay any money at the ministry if there is no justification for that payment. I don't want tomorrow somebody to put me before any committee to answer questions.' 

The veteran sports broadcaster had another worry to express about the whole matter and he prefers to put it rhetorically. 

"I also have a problem where for example we have a match, Black Stars have a match and then seven people apart from the players and the technical team say they want to be at that match so government should buy tickets, pay hotel, give them per diem for them to go. Why? Why?"