The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has vowed not to protect any individual found culpable in the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged collection of more than US$600,000 from prospective travellers who sought visas to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Mr Wonder Sitsofe Mandel, special aide to the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Iddie Adams, gave the assurance during a press conference in Accra on Friday, October 9, as the they responded to allegations implicating the Ministry and other public institutions and officials in the disputed visa facilitation arrangements.
“The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has no intention in shielding anybody. If investigations established that any public official, private organisation, or any individual collected money and lawfully misrepresented applicants to a diplomatic mission, falsified institutional information, abused public office, or personally benefited from any improper arrangement, that person must answer for it.”
Mr Wonder Sitsofe Mandel, special aide to the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Iddie Adams
The press conference followed renewed allegations by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority in Parliament, led by Vincent Ekow Assafuah, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, who has called for a broader investigation into the controversy.
The Minority has demanded the removal of Hon. Adams and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) from office, arguing that the allegations extend beyond the National Sports Authority (NSA) and its suspended Director-General, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah.
Assafuah presented documents he said linked the NSA, GTA, Sports Ministry and private organisation TRIBE Culture Fest to arrangements intended to facilitate travel for World Cup-related activities.
The allegations concern payments reportedly collected from applicants who expected assistance with visa applications and travel arrangements but were unable to secure the intended travel opportunities.
The US$600,000 figure has featured prominently in the controversy, with reports putting the alleged amount at approximately US$623,000. Some applicants were reportedly charged thousands of dollars, although the allegations have not been established by investigators.
Mandel said the Ministry had decided to address the claims publicly because of what he described as “misinformation,” “misleading documents” and “inconsistencies” circulating in the public domain.
Also, he maintained that the Ministry would cooperate fully with ongoing investigations while challenging allegations he said required correction.
Minority Raises Questions Over Embassy Submissions
The Minority’s allegations centre on documents and correspondence it says raise questions about the identities and institutional positions of people presented to foreign diplomatic missions.
Assafuah claimed that on January 28, 2026, 22 individuals were presented to the United States Embassy as NSA personnel, with discrepancies subsequently identified in some of their stated positions.
Again the Minority argued that, the US Embassy’s Fraud Prevention Unit flagged four applicants in March and requested documentation to verify their employment with the Authority. The caucus questioned why certain job titles appeared in the submissions when, it alleged, those positions did not exist within the NSA’s organisational structure.
The Minority also raised concerns about a list of 102 people reportedly submitted to the Canadian Embassy on June 8, 2026. Assafuah claimed that only 15 could be verified as NSA employees, leaving the status of the remaining 87 requiring clarification.
The GTA has also come under scrutiny following claims that 50 individuals were presented to the US Embassy as media personnel, but only two were identified as established media practitioners during verification.
The Minority wants investigators to establish who prepared and approved the lists, how the applicants were selected, how much money was collected, and how the visa allocations were ultimately used.
It has argued that the investigation must examine the roles of all institutions and individuals involved rather than focus exclusively on the former NSA Director-General.
NSA Boss Suspended as Investigation Continues
Yaw Ampofo Ankrah was suspended from his position following a directive from President John Dramani Mahama on October 1, pending investigations into the alleged visa facilitation scheme. Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong was subsequently appointed Acting Director-General of the NSA.
Ankrah has denied wrongdoing and indicated his willingness to cooperate with investigators. The NSA has also denied authorising any visa facilitation service or money-collection arrangement connected to the World Cup, maintaining that its relationship with TRIBE Culture Fest did not permit the organisation to collect money for visa processing on its behalf.
Mandel rejected allegations linking the Sports Minister to improper conduct, insisting that the Ministry had no direct contractual, commercial or operational relationship with private travel companies involved in the arrangements.
He said the Ministry would present relevant documents and processes to help the public assess the competing claims, while warning against treating unverified allegations as established facts. “The pursuit of accountability cannot justify the circulation of inaccurate dates, changing figures, incomplete documents, collapsed timelines, and unverified allegations as though they were established as fact,” he said.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service is investigating aspects of the matter. The central questions remain who authorised the disputed arrangements, whether applicants were misrepresented to diplomatic missions, where the alleged payments went, and whether any public officials or private individuals engaged in wrongdoing.
The outcome of the investigations is expected to determine responsibility for the alleged scheme, with the Ministry maintaining that anyone found culpable must answer for their actions.
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