Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, says he was not informed by the National Sports Authority (NSA) of any visa arrangements with the United States Embassy ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The minister’s comments come amid growing controversy over visa arrangements involving the NSA, the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and private organisation TRIBE Culture Fest, with calls for investigations into the roles played by the institutions and their officials.
Speaking on Accra-based TV3, Mr Adams said the ministry had not received any communication from the NSA or the US Embassy confirming an agreement on visa acquisition.
“The embassy did not communicate to us where they have reached; the NSA did not communicate to us where they have reached; the NSA did not communicate to us if they had any arrangement with the embassy,” the Buem MP said.
He added that the ministry understood discussions were still ongoing to establish the rules and boundaries governing the process.
Mr Adams also explained that employees of government agencies travelling on official business would require a different visa category from those travelling with the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
“NSA and GTA are governmental agencies; this is important because travellers who work for the GFA will need to apply for visitor B1/B2 visas, whereas employees of the NSA and GTA who are travelling on official government business will need to apply for diplomatic visas,” he said.
The minister acknowledged that the NSA had engaged with the US Embassy but insisted those discussions were not related to visa acquisition.
“Yes, the NSA were having their own engagement with the embassy but not in relation to the issuance of visas; those engagements were outside of the visa acquisition,” he added.
The controversy has raised questions about the submission of names to foreign diplomatic missions and the involvement of state institutions and private organisations in facilitating travel linked to the 2026 World Cup.
The Minority in Parliament has called for a broader investigation, arguing that accountability should not be limited to former NSA Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, who was suspended and later dismissed amid the controversy.
Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service has launched an investigation into the allegations.
