Ex-Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has explained he failed to show up at Kenya's premium sports awards 'SOYA' as chief guest after he was offered a derisory US$ 2,000 as appearance fee.

It was rumoured that Appiah changed positions two days to the gala – demanding double the initial agreed fee of US$ 3,000.

''Trust me it’s not about money, but some of us have kept in shape and branded ourselves so people must sacrifice also because there’s a reason why Appiah is called for an event and not other ex-footballers,'' he told Soka25east.

''It doesn’t look good for my image to attend an event for US$ 2,000 dollars.

''I'm not the guy who talks too much about money so I told the guy that I would prefer to go to the event for free. I have done many events that I didn’t even take anything.''

SOYA organizers have since settled on former Kenyan international Mike Okoth as Appiah’s replacement.