Uncovered: How Narh and Mensah were denied signing-on fees

Footy-ghana.com can confirm that Tema Youth defensive midfielder Derrick Mensah and forward Francis Narh were denied their entitled signing-on fees after signing four year contracts with Tunisian giants Club Africain.

According to exhaustive investigations carried out by footy-ghana.com, Club Africain officials told Tema Youth owner and Chief Executive, Wilfred Osei Kwaku (Palmer) that the club would only pay $60,000 as a transfer fee for Mensah because they had already signed a defensive midfielder in Seidu Salifu and so Mensah would be a backup for Salifu.

Footy-ghana.com can also reveal that Mensah was due a signing on fee of $40,000.

According to our highly placed sources, after unsuccessfully trying to convince Club Africain to top up Mensah’s transfer fee, Osei Kwaku then asked Club Africain to add Mensah’s signing-on fee to the transfer fee, thus making the transfer fee $100,000, which meant that Mensah would receive nothing by way of a signing on fee.

Footy-ghana.com understands that Osei Kwaku also agreed with club Africain to hand Mensah a monthly salary of $2000.

Footy-ghana.com sources can reveal that in Narh’s case, the transfer fee was $300,000, out of which the striker, who has been tracked by Club Africain for a while, was entitled to a signing on fee of $150,000.

This, according to footy-ghana.com sources, was also withheld from Narh.

Footy-ghana.com can establish that when the players angrily asked why there were no signing on fees for them, Osei Kwaku asked Narh in particular what he would want, with Narh responding that he wants $50,000.

Footy-ghana.com can confirm that Club Africain paid the money into Osei Kwaku’s account, which is why the GFA Executive Committee member left to return to Ghana, in order to access the account.

Earlier on Tuesday, Osei Kwaku told Happy FM that it is not true that he had short changed the players, adding that an agent called Shabby negotiated with Club Africain on the players’ behalf

“It will be naïve on my part to take the players to Tunisia and get them to sign a deal without explaining the deal to them and I can tell you that both players have not signed a deal before. There was an agent called Shabby, who spoke to Club Africain on phone regarding the personal terms of the players. Their basic salaries have been specified in the contracts. Seidu Salifu has signed a similar contract with the same club and so I am not lying.”

Osei Kwaku declined to show Happy FM a copy of the player’s contract when asked, citing the contracts as private.

Derrick Mensah however disputed Osei Kwaku’s claims on Happy FM, telling the Accra-based radio station that most of Osei Kwaku’s assertions were not true

“We (Narh and myself) have heard Osei Kwaku’s interview on Happy FM and several things he said were not true. He was asked about what happened after Club Africain and Tema Youth agreed a fee for us and he said that an agent negotiated on our behalf and agreed all terms with Shabby. Before God and man, we do not know him.

"We only heard of him when we got to Tunisia. We went with someone called Charles. I don’t know whether he is an agent or not and I saw him for the first time in Tunisia.

"When we signed the contract Charles was there. When the Club Africain officials asked who he was, Osei Kwaku said he was a scout. We never spoke with any agent about our salaries and personal terms. When we left for Osei Kwaku to agree a transfer fee with Club Africain, after they were done, we were called one after the other, but no one spoke with us regarding our personal terms.

"We never spoke to anyone from the time we arrived. Charles rather told us that he wanted to represent us when we sign the deals. We did not know how for instance I have to play for four years and receive a monthly salary of $2000.

"So that means Osei Kwaku agreed the deal with whatever agent on our behalf without telling us anything. When I was called, even Osei Kwaku did not allow me to ask any question. When the guy finished explaining what I would receive, I asked Osei Kwaku about my signing on fee.

"He told me that Club Africain does not pay signing on fees. Osei Kwaku realized that I was upset and asked me to cheer up, saying that they had all toiled to get me there so I should be happy.

"The contract was in French and when I complained, Osei Kwaku told me that he would explain everything to me and that they would produce an English version of the contract. Clearly they had already decided everything on our behalf without telling us.”

Footy-ghana.com can confirm that when Club Africain signed Seidu Salifu, the ex-Wa All Stars midfielder received a signing on fee in the region of $50,000, contradicting Osei Kwaku’s claims that Seidu Salifu signed a contract similar to those signed by Narh and Mensah. source; footy-ghana.com