Ghana Is Flying $3 Million In Cash To The World Cup To Pay Players And Avoid A Potential Boycott

Laurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesThe Ghanaian government is flying $3 million in cash to Brazil today to prevent a potential player boycott before Ghana's World Cup match Thursday versus Portugal, CNBC.com reports.

The dispute between the government and the Ghanian players stemmed from a disagreement regarding the mode of pay for the players' "appearance fees." In an interview with Accra's City 93.7 FM, Deputy Sports Minister Joseph Yamin explained that the Ghanian government wanted to use a form of e-banking while the players wanted physical cash payments because many players have bank accounts in the countries where they play club soccer rather than in Ghana.

With speculation that the team would not board its plane to Brasilia, where they'll play Portugal, Ghanian president John Dramani Mahama personally intervened earlier today to ensure that the Black Star players recieved their appearance fees before their match with Portugal.

The Ghanaian Football Association said this in a statement:

The chartered plane, carrying $3 million in cash, will arrive at some point today. According to the same statement, FIFA will reimburse the Ghanaian government after the tournament ends.

The incident marks the second major piece of off-field drama surrounding the Ghanaian team during the World Cup. On June 22, the Ghanian FA filed a complaint to police officials and FIFA for a potential match fixing scandal.

Ghana needs to beat Portugal on Thursday if they hope to advance to the knockout stages of the World Cup.