Veteran Gospel artist, Grace Ashly has revealed an ordeal she experienced 18 years ago after her song to support and give morale to the Black Stars ahead of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Grace Ashly indicated that following the release of her popular song, “Ghana Black Stars Yenie”, she met at the Osu Castle with former President Kufuor and some GFA officials.
Her famous “Ghana Black Stars Yenie” song in 2006 was purposely created to rally fans for the Black Stars ahead of the World Cup in Germany.
According to her, former President Kufuor commended her and requested that the GFA officials include her in the team that would be traveling to the World Cup under state sponsorship.
Per the request, the gospel musician was to receive a letter from the GFA and present it to the German Embassy for visa approval to allow her to travel with the team to Germany.
However, Grace Ashly disclosed that after receiving the letter from the then GFA Secretary, Kofi Nsiah, and presenting it to the Embassy, her visa was not granted.
She explained that she did not open the sealed letter to read its content thinking that per the former President’s request, she was going to travel with the team.
To her utmost disappointment, the letter from then GFA secretary, Kofi Nsiah was rather to inform the Embassy not to grant her visa.
“After handing over the letter, I was told by the consular that the details in the letter were meant to deny me the visa. The funny thing is, that Kofi is from my hometown, and I trusted him. The letter even seemed official, but it turned out to be a set-up.”
Grace Ashly
However, she mentioned that through the benevolence of another foreign official at the French Embassy, she was granted the visa, stating, “By the time the GFA team arrived at the Black Stars camp, I had already made it there, and they were all surprised.”
Grace Ashly Disappointed in GFA
Ghanaian gospel musician, Grace Ashly expressed disappointment with the Ghana Football Association over the lack of compensation for songs she created in support of the Black Stars.
Grace Ashly revealed that despite composing seven songs for the Black Stars since 2006, she has never received any financial compensation for her work.
“I was never paid anything. I have written seven songs for the Black Stars since 2006, and nobody paid me a dime for those songs. Nobody at GFA or the Sports Ministry can come out and say they’ve paid me even a single coin for any of the songs.”
Grace Ashly
The gospel musician also expressed disappointment that the Black Stars team has not been supportive of her music career despite the services she has provided over the years.
Ashly recounted how she visited the former President of the Ghana Football Association, Kwesi Nyantakyi, multiple times, yet did not receive any assistance.
“I feel like Black Stars do not value my contributions. If they did, they would support me to create more. The GFA cannot claim ignorance of my songwriting for the Black Stars because I approached Nyantakyi on three or four occasions.”
Grace Ashly
Grace Ashly has made significant contributions to the Ghanaian football culture with her energetic and motivational songs, usually dedicated to the senior national team.
One of her most well-known tracks, “Ghana Black Stars Yenie”, was created to rally support for the Black Stars ahead of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The song’s popularity led to a meeting with former President John Kufuor and GFA officials, which highlighted the national recognition of her efforts.
In 2014, she released “Black Stars 2014” another motivational anthem aimed at boosting the team’s morale during the World Cup.
Songs like “Black Star Fire” and “Black Stars Mmre Nie” have also played a key role in energizing supporters and fostering unity among Ghanaian football fans.
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