Omanghana
Old Tafo MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah has cautioned Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams against transferring responsibility to Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over alleged irregularities in Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup visa arrangements.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem ahead of a planned ministerial press briefing, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee said the Sports Ministry was responsible for checking applicants’ identities, employment records and professional roles before submitting their names for visa assistance.
Assafuah argued that the Foreign Affairs Minister could not be expected to independently verify every position attributed to individuals on lists supplied by another ministry. He maintained that diplomatic assistance did not remove the originating institution’s obligation to conduct proper checks.
His comments follow allegations by the Minority that applicants were assigned positions they did not hold to support visa applications linked to the tournament. Assafuah has also claimed that some individuals paid between US$8,000 and US$9,000 under the arrangements. These remain allegations.
The caucus further alleges that only two of 50 people submitted by the Ghana Tourism Authority as media personnel were identified as genuine media practitioners following checks by the United States Embassy’s Fraud Prevention Unit. That account was presented by Assafuah as part of the Minority’s findings, rather than an independently released embassy statement.
The Minority is seeking the dismissal of Adams and the GTA’s Chief Executive Officer, alongside a full investigation into their institutions’ roles. It has called for prosecution wherever evidence establishes that an official knowingly authorised or facilitated criminal conduct.
However, the Sports Minister’s Special Assistant, Wonder Mandel, has rejected the accusations against Adams, describing them as baseless and intended to damage his reputation. He said the Minority had not demonstrated wrongdoing warranting the minister’s dismissal and indicated that the ministry would examine the claims and respond with further information.
The National Sports Authority has also denied involvement in a visa facilitation scheme and said it is cooperating with police investigations.
Source: Omanghana
