Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye walked himself into the book of shame when he became Ghana's first Sports Minister to avoid the pre-match activities and ceremonial handshake for a top international game played on Saturday.
Fearing global and public humiliation for his poor treatment of the Black Stars ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda the minister craftily elected to dodge the key events.

Even though the Minister was present at the Accra Sports Stadium way before the start of the match he chose not to climb down to lead the ceremonial handshake with the players and national anthems.

Vanderpuye was spotted in VVIP Lounge of the stadium away from the public gaze before the start of the important pre-match ceremony.

This forced the Ghana FA president, Kwesi Nyantakyi, GNPC CEO Alex Mould and other high ranking football officials to greet the players and their Rwandan counterparts.

While the ceremonial handshakes were ongoing Vanderpuye stayed in the VVIP Lounge area until after the formalities were completed.

It was the first time a Sports Minister in Ghana has avoided the key ceremony that represents government with the n

ational anthem also in play.

The minister popped up immediately after the pre-match ceremony was completed to watch the game which ended 1-1 after a difficult week and build-up to the game for the Black Stars.

Vanderpuye’s action has been widely seen as a move to avoid a situation of the Black Stars players publicly rejecting his handshakes after first calling for them not to be invited and then said they should pay their own bonuses for the match.

His absence from the ceremony topped the week where he completed avoided the team's training to offer the traditional government support for the Black Stars ahead of home matches.

Vnderpuye's relationship with the Black Stars looks to have been hurt by his order that only foreign-based players should be used for what he described as an 'unimportant game'.

When coach Avram Grant insisted on his squad Vanderpuye refused to purchase air tickets for the players who had to pay their own airfares to play for Ghana.

His late order came just three before the players arrived for training and when they came he did not visit them in training or camp.

He knew he had hurts sensibilities with his orders of interfering with the team's call-up, his refusal to pay for the travel of the players and decision to completely slash bonuses for the game.

Yet his charged high rates for the match he had described as 'unimportant' discouraging supporters from attending the game even though he did not pay for the flight tickets of the players.

Source: Ghanasoccernet.com