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A month after boycotting a planned presentation at State House where President Barrow was ready to splash D11 million for their efforts at qualifying for Afcon, members of the national team, the Scorpions, have written to the Ministry of Sports asking for the money because the majority of the players have now agreed to collect it They had earlier rejected the sum and demanded for better preparations and treatment.
Following that boycott, the minister of sports Bakary Badjie declared that if the boys did not come to collect it the money would be used for some other projects. Well, that seems to be the case now because the minister has reportedly said the money is not available at the moment and the boys would have to wait.
Speaking to The Fatu Network, Minister Badjie said: “Government does not keep money lying down in places unused. So when the players said they did not want the money it stayed at the Sports Council for about a month while they still maintained that they did’nt want it .
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A few days after I authorized for the money to be used on something else, a communication came from the boys that they have negotiated among themselves and that majority of them have agreed to collect the money. I told them to write officially and withdraw their first letter which they did but by that time we had already used part of the money on our ongoing work, example the Olympic programmes was supported from there as well. So now they have to wait until we have the money and we can pay it back. A journalist had asked me that question during the press conference and I said that government doesn’t keep money waiting.”