Former Asante Kotoko, Hearts of Oak striker Edward Affum has recounted hardships he encountered while playing for premier league side Accra Great Olympics during the 2019 season.
The 30-year old former Satellites forward joined the Dade Boys on a two-year deal in January 2019 when the club was preparing the Normalization Committee Special Competition. Affum joined the Accra based side after leaving Shaba Al-Ordo of Jordan.
Speaking to Jeffries Sintim Koree on Television CK, Affum narrated how difficult life was for him while playing for Great Olympics, describing it as a “sad situation”. Affum revealed that he and other senior players in the team were not being paid, but were given GHC20 each for transportation after every game. He claimed of receiving a full salary for only one month throughout his stay at the club, making life unbearable for him.
“The saddest aspect of it was that, after every game then you are given GHC20 for transportation back home”, Affum told Television CK. When [Bernard Don] Bortey was there they all took that because you have no option”, he recounted.
According to the former Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak, he used to pay for his transportation to and fro training sessions but only received peanuts as remuneration. Only one month was he paid full salary at Great Olympics and the club failed to honour the contractual terms he had with them and he was rather running at a loss financially and he terminated his contract with them.
“In the contract they were to give me a signing on fee, I played for one year and not even GHC1.00 was coming, I went to training with my own money also for one year but I think I was spending too much, when you complain to the officials they claim the president has traveled and is not back yet, but I was also losing so I decided I can’t continue”, he said.
“I spent GHC30 in and out everyday when I don’t go with my car to training. That time too as a senior player and assistant captain, I couldn’t miss training because everybody looked up to me, so I had to honour training everyday. When I went to Olympics I received salary for only one month, the rest I don’t know whether it’s today that it’ll come”, Affum recalled.
Asked about winning bonuses, Affum couldn’t remember the last time he received one.
“I don’t remember the last time I received a winning bonus, it doesn’t come. After a every match then we are given GHC20 for transportation. When Bortey was there they all took that because you don’t have an option because we’ve gone to play a match and this is what is being shared”, he revealed.
Narrating his ordeal at Great Olympics, Edward Affum attributed such treatments to the reason why most senior players who return from abroad are at home without joining any local club because, clubs fail to honours contractual terms they do have with such players.
“And sometimes it’s bad to the extend that…all these are part of the reasons why most at times when most of the players return from outside they find it difficult to join some of the clubs here because, what they will agree with you when you come the treatment you will be given is some way some times. So as I speak today there are a lot of experienced players at home that because of things like this they don’t even want to join any club”, he lamented.
Edward Affum is currently a free agent after terminating his contract with Great Olympics in October last year, few weeks before the club made premier league return.
