Ex-Black Stars skipper Charles Akonnor says the Black Stars players' winning bonus row has been blown out of proportion by the Ministry of Youth and Sports insisting it is not the public that must decide the winning bonus of the players.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports led by disappointed parliamentary aspirant of Ayawaso North Constituency Dr. Mustapha Ahmed was reported to have slashed the $10,000 winning bonus of the Black Stars to $5,000 which the players rejected.

According to the report, the Ministry said that the state is facing economic hardships hence the decision to slash the winning bonus.

The row invited various commentaries from the public with most people tagging the players unpatriotic for refusing to accept the $5000 but the former Wolfburg captain thinks otherwise.

In an exclusive interview with GHANAsoccernet.com CK Akonnor noted that the topic was blown out of proportion by the Ministry of Youth and Sports by making the pronouncement even before the players could be officially informed.

"I think the Ministry did not handle the issue well. The topic shouldn't have even been in the public domain. They could have thrashed it as stakeholders themselves," C.K noted.

"The Ministry must not allow the public to decide the winning bonus of the team for them. It must be a dialogue. The players will surely feel disrespected if the subject is thrown into the public domain. It must be a topic of discussion among the interested parties alone," he added.

The winning bonus row resulted in the Black Stars bonus going into arrears for the first time in twelve years after the players' bonus after the Mauritius game played in June was paid in September with that of the 1-0 away win over Rwanda being paid in November.

The players are still yet to receive their winning bonus for the 2-0 win over Comoros in the 2018 World Cup qualifier played on the 17th of this month.