CK Akonnor refutes claim of receiving $100,000 after sack

Former Black Stars coach, CK Akonnor, has dismissed claims of receiving an amount of $100,000 from the Ministry of Youth and Sports upon the cancellation of his contract in 2021.

After agreeing to a two-year contract in January 2020, the former 49-year-old head coach faced dismissal in September 2021 following a defeat to South Africa in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

During a press brief on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, the Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, despite admitting the country still owes C.K Akonnor and Milovan Rajevac, claimed both were paid $100,000 each following the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) decision to relieved them of their duties.

“We still owe Milovan [Rajevac]. All of C.K and Milovan, once their contract was terminated, we sat with them, negotiated their exit and C.K was paid $100,000 immediately after the negotiation same as Milovan” he said.

However, Akonnor in an interview with Graphic Sports has denied the statement, claiming the exact amount he received was not what was mentioned by the minister.

“I never received the kind of money the minister mentioned. I don’t want to put out how much they paid me but it was not $100,000 as the minister said,” Akonnor disclosed.

Akonnor stated that after he was sacked, he was paid in cedis and told to convert it to dollars using the Bank of Ghana rate.

However, while the rate was significantly lower than the market rate at the time, it was nothing near the amount mentioned by the minister.

The former Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko head coach, Akonnor, also requested the minister to review the contract he had with the GFA, which was still on file at the FA. He urged the minister to review the contract to find out how they arrived at that amount.

“My contract is still with the FA and if he likes he can go and check the agreement we had and see before making the claim and he will know that he is wrong,” he emphasised.

CK Akonnor participated in 10 matches, securing victories in four, suffering defeats in four, and settling for draws in two. Subsequently, Milovan Rajevac took over after Akonnor’s removal, but he, too, faced termination due to a disappointing showing at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon.