Ghana sports minister rejects dismissal calls over World Cup visa allegations
Ghana’s Sports Minister Kofi Adams has rejected calls for his dismissal over alleged irregularities in 2026 World Cup visa arrangements. NSA Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah has been suspended while police investigate. Adams denies knowledge of the alleged financial transactions.
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ghanasoccernet.comPius Hadzide identifies factors behind recurring Sports Ministry scandals
Minister rejects removal calls
Ghana’s Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has rejected demands by the Minority in Parliament for his dismissal and prosecution over alleged irregularities in visa arrangements for supporters and officials attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
President John Dramani Mahama has directed National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah to step aside while police investigate the allegations. The police Criminal Investigations Department is handling the investigation.
Allegations and denials
At an October 7 press conference, Parliament’s Sports Committee ranking member Vincent Ekow Assafuah alleged that officials facilitated visa applications for people who were not Sports Ministry employees. He claimed a cover letter presented outsiders as ministry staff. The Minority also demanded the dismissal and prosecution of the Ghana Tourism Authority’s chief executive over alleged involvement.
Ghana Soccernet reported allegations that individuals associated with the NSA collected about $623,000 to facilitate supporters’ visas through arrangements involving TRIBE Culture Fest, which had been given an office at the Accra Sports Stadium. The NSA denied authorising money collection or operating a visa facilitation office.
The Sports Ministry has denied wrongdoing, saying it neither entered into commercial arrangements with TRIBE Culture Fest nor facilitated illegal visas. The allegations remain unproven.
Adams outlines his involvement
Adams told Citi News that the NSA, Ghana Tourism Authority, US Embassy and TRIBE Culture Fest had handled arrangements without informing his ministry. He said he first learned the details through a May 19 letter requesting that names of event coordinators and volunteers be forwarded to the Foreign Affairs Ministry and US Embassy.
He said his involvement was limited to forwarding the letter through administrative channels and denied knowing about the alleged financial transactions. “Government money has not been lost,” he said.
Adams also said he had repeatedly warned people against paying individuals claiming they could use connections to secure US or Canadian visas. He maintained that some applicants made payments without the ministry’s knowledge.
Calls for wider scrutiny
Football administrator Fitzgerald Barkers Woode, known as Nana Fitz, called for an investigative committee and the immediate interdiction of everyone implicated. A Graphic Sports editorial separately urged Mahama to establish an independent investigation tracing documents and financial transactions.
Former Deputy Sports Minister Pius Hadzide questioned the secretariat established at the NSA and an appointment he said fell outside its organisational structure. He argued that official correspondence and accounts from people claiming to have paid warranted scrutiny of the institutions and individuals involved.
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