The Captain of the Ghana National Amputee Football Team, Richard Arthur Opentil has expressed gratitude to the Sports Ministry for rewarding each of the players who represented Ghana at the 2021 Amputee African Nations Cup $2,000 each for winning the cup.
The captain explained that the amount would be put into an investment account for each of the players.
Aside from the $2,000 each player is expected to receive a Ghc10,000 cash reward.
But the captain said just like Oliver Twist, they would not reject any more support from corporate Ghana or other individuals.
Speaking on Rainbow Sports, the captain said they spent several amounts of money to represent Ghana.
Although he failed to disclose the exact amount, he said they have several debts to pay and would have wished that the Ministry had given them more than what they received.
The nine players bought their own tickets to go and participate in the competition without approval from the Ministry, largely due to administrative divisions at the Ghana Amputee Football Association.
Following the competition in Tanzania, where they beat Liberia 3-2 in the final to lift the cup, the team recorded and circulated a video on social media where they claimed to be stranded in the East African country and needed help returning home to showcase the trophy.
The Sports Ministry later paid for their return tickets back home.
The Ministry however expressed its displeasure at the way the team went for the games.
Hosting them at the Ministry on Tuesday, the Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif commended the team and thanked them for making Ghana proud.
The captain noted that “we are grateful to the Ministry. We are grateful that they have rewarded our efforts. We appreciate the amount they gave us. But just like Oliver Twist, we want more,'” he added.
He further disclosed that there were plans underway for them to meet the President.
To him, they would be happy to meet the President and present the trophy before they leave for Tokyo for the world amputee games.
He stressed, “we are not disappointed. We are thankful and commend the Sports Minister for his appreciation and reward to the players”.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
