The Ministry of Sports and Recreation in Ghana has rejected claims that the Black Queens are owed outstanding per diems, saying all government-approved allowances due to the players and eligible officials have been paid.
The ministry’s response follows concerns raised by members of Ghana’s women’s national team over bonuses, daily allowances, welfare arrangements and government support during the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
According to the ministry, the players and eligible officials received their per diems in advance on 29 July. The payment covered their stay from 26 July to 7 August.
A second payment was made on 11 August after Ghana’s quarter-final elimination, the ministry said. That allowance covered the team’s continued presence in Morocco from 8 to 14 August as the Black Queens pursue another route to qualification for the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
The ministry said the payments were formally acknowledged through signed allowance sheets attached to its statement. It therefore maintained that, as of 12 August, the government had no outstanding obligation concerning the players’ per diems.
The dispute also involves winning bonuses.
The ministry confirmed that the Black Queens are entitled to a bonus following their group-stage victory against Cape Verde. However, it said the money has not yet been paid because the payment is going through the necessary financial processes.
It said the bonus would be transferred directly into the bank accounts of the players and eligible officials once those procedures are completed.
The ministry also challenged the players’ claim that they were owed a qualification bonus for reaching the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations through their qualifying matches against Egypt.
It explained that the government’s current sports financing arrangements do not provide a separate qualification bonus for teams that progress through the home-and-away WAFCON qualifying round.
Instead, the government covers approved expenditure connected to the qualification process, including per diems and operational costs, according to the ministry.
It also said there had been no government authorisation for winning bonuses relating to the two qualifying matches against Egypt. The ministry added that this position had already been communicated to the Ghana Football Association.
Welfare was another issue raised by the Black Queens, but the ministry said the team has access to a range of support personnel.
The structure includes a team manager, team administrator, two physiotherapists, a medical doctor, a nurse, a dietician and a chef, alongside members of the management and technical teams.
The government also said an accountant assigned to the team has helped facilitate approved payments for additional welfare requirements.
The ministry maintained that its commitment to the Black Queens and women’s football remains unchanged. It urged concerns involving financial payments and welfare arrangements to be handled through the appropriate institutional channels.
The dispute comes at an important stage of Ghana’s campaign, with the Black Queens preparing for a FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification play-in against Cote d’Ivoire.
The match carries significant importance because qualification would put Ghana in contention for a place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Ghana’s quarter-final exit from the WAFCON has therefore not ended the team’s hopes of reaching the global tournament. The play-in pathway provides another opportunity for the Black Queens to secure World Cup qualification.
The Ministry of Sports and Recreation’s statement seeks to clarify the government’s position on the financial concerns raised by the players, particularly the distinction between payments it says have already been made and bonuses that remain in the financial processing system.
While the ministry insists that no government per diem payments are outstanding, it acknowledges that the winning bonus from the Cape Verde match is still being processed.
It has also maintained that there is no separate government qualification bonus for the Egypt qualifying matches, while stressing that approved costs associated with those fixtures were covered.
The Black Queens will now turn their attention to the play-in against Cote d’Ivoire, with a place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil providing the next major objective for the team.
