Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Peter Ogwang, the State Minister for Sports, has come to the defense of the Netball Normalization Committee amidst allegations of failing to provide daily allowances to She Cranes players during the International Netball Series in Wales and England.
Ogwang refuted media reports claiming that the Netball Normalization Committee did not pay the She Cranes a daily allowance of £45 during the recently concluded International Netball Series. In a comprehensive statement, Ogwang clarified that the Government of Uganda contributed a USD 1000 allowance to each player, covered the team’s travel costs, and funded the pre-Series Camp training.
Regarding the £45 allowance, Ogwang explained that it was meant to be a contribution from the hosting federations, payable to the She Cranes as per the commitment agreement signed by the three nations’ Federations. This arrangement was made following a history of the Uganda Netball Federation failing to pay player allowances during previous UK Tours.
“During past UK Tours, the said allowances were not remitted to the She Cranes players by the UNF leadership as required, which was made known to the Normalization Committee,” stated part of Ogwang’s response. “To address this anomaly, the UNF Normalization Committee and World Netball resolved that the allowance should be remitted in kind and accordingly paid directly to the hotels where the She Cranes stayed, to cater to meals for the team,” another part of the statement read.
Ogwang’s response aligns with Angela Sanderson, World Netball’s head of finance and governance, who also emphasized the direct payment of per diem to team hotels to ensure proper provision of three meals per day for the players.
“As discussed with the committee prior to the tour, due to reports of irregularities in the use of the per diem during the last She Cranes tour of the UK, World Netball requested that the per diem be paid directly to team hotels to ensure that the players were provided with three meals per day,” read a letter from Angela Sanderson dated 2nd February.
The Uganda Netball Federation and the government have faced criticism for an extended period for allegedly not paying She Cranes players, even after the team’s success in various competitions, including the 2022 test series and the Commonwealth Games.
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