Kojo Addae Mensah CEO of Databank against calls for Black Stars to play for free

Kojo Addae Mensah, CEO of DataBank, says he does not agree with Ghanaians who have criticized the payment of Black Stars players.

Some Ghanaians have recently questioned the necessity to pay players who play for the national team, which has been the standard for many years, claiming that getting paid to play for the national team indicates one is not patriotic.

Kofi Addae Mensah has dismissed such debates, claiming that they are unnecessary and do not indicate that footballers are not patriotic.

“The fact that a player is patriotic does not mean you do something for free – I disagree with that notion. Patriotism is not free, playing football is the job of the player so he needs to be paid,” he told Ashh FM.

“Members of Parliament and DCEs all serve the country and at the end of the month they are paid, it’s not free. Why then do we leave the players when they are faced with injuries? Does that mean we are not patriotic too?”

The Databank CEO highlighted former Black Stars player Jerry Akaminko, who has allegedly been mistreated since suffering an injury prior to the 2010 World Cup.