[ 2014-10-09 ]

Ghana World Cup cash row inspires Hollywood filmmakers
One of the most controversial stories from the
2014 World Cup is set for the big screen
treatment.

In June, the Ghana team refused to train just days
before their final group match against Portugal
because of a row over appearance fees.

Ghana’s government stepped in and sent more than
$3m (£1.8m) in cash by plane to Brazil to pay the
players.

Bugeater Films, a United States film production
company, is aiming to turn the story into a
Hollywood hit.

They have hired screenwriter Darryl Wharton-Rigby
to pen the movie.

Wharton-Rigby, a former staff writer for acclaimed
US TV series Homicide: Life on the Street, is
writing a thriller based on the incident.

“Football and the players needing the money is
kind of the backdrop to the story,”
Wharton-Rigby told the BBC World Service
Sportshour programme.

“But it’s really about the journey of the guy
who actually is entrusted to deliver the money and
what happens if he doesn’t get it there in
time.

“I actually want the guy who’s the hero of the
story to be from Ghana. I think there should be a
hero who is African telling the story.”

The Ghana players, including Christian Atsu, who
is on loan at Everton from Chelsea, AC Milan’s
Michael Essien and Middlesbrough’s Albert
Adomah, received the money ($100,000 each) the
night before the game.

It was recently revealed that many of them kept
the cash in the dressing room during the Portugal
match.

Christian Atsu was among the Ghana players caught
up in the appearance fee row

“It’s very much truth stranger than
fiction,” explained Wharton-Rigby.

“I saw footage of the police cars taking the
money on the highway and you can just see that
scene playing out in your mind with someone like
Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson as the guy having to
save the day. You can see all kinds of mayhem
happening on the highway.”

“It’s 50-50 as to whether it will get made,
we’re still at the early stages so we’re going
to take it one step at a time. Hopefully we can
write a great script and get someone who is
attached to it. It’s a fascinating story and I
think audiences internationally would really take
to it.”

“I can see the poster now; lots of soccer balls,
a stadium and a guy on the run.”

Source - Citifmonline

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