Minister for Sports and Recreation Kofi Adams has rejected calls by the Minority in Parliament for his dismissal over alleged irregularities in visa arrangements for supporters and officials ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

About 90 people reportedly paid between $10,000 and $15,000 each for arrangements linked to the tournament, but only five obtained visas for the World Cup, which was staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The controversy has led to the suspension of National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, while the Presidency is expected to launch a probe into the matter.

The Minority has also called for the dismissal and prosecution of officials it believes were involved in the arrangements.

Speaking to Citi News, Mr Adams rejected calls for his removal and insisted that his ministry had no prior knowledge of the arrangements.

“Well, I don’t see the justification. Both the American Embassy and TRIBE Culture Fest, the NSA and the GTA were doing their thing behind the Ministry. The Ministry didn’t know,” he said.

According to the minister, the first time he became aware of the details was when a letter dated May 19 requested the ministry to forward the names of event coordinators and volunteers to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Embassy.

“The first time I ever sat and had a conversation in relation to that matter was when the May 19 letter requested the forwarding of event coordinators and volunteers to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy. That’s when I got to know the details of what was happening,” he said.

Mr Adams said the letter was forwarded to the ministry’s Chief Director, who serves on the technical committee overseeing the arrangements.

He explained that the committee had agreed that the names of people expected to perform specific duties at the World Cup should be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Embassy to allow the necessary preparatory processes to begin.

The minister maintained that the arrangements were handled by the NSA, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), US Embassy and TRIBE Culture Fest without the Ministry of Sports and Recreation being informed.

He said the ministry would have been aware of the process if the organisations involved had formally presented their plans, copied the ministry in their correspondence or otherwise informed it.

Mr Adams also denied having knowledge of the alleged financial transactions linked to the visa arrangements.

“Government money has not been lost,” he said.

The Minority’s demands followed allegations raised by the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, at a press conference on Wednesday, October 7.

Mr Assafuah alleged that some officials facilitated visa applications for people who were not employees of the Ministry of Sports and Recreation.

He further alleged that a cover letter had been prepared to present outsiders as ministry staff to support their visa applications.

The Minority has also called for the dismissal and prosecution of the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority over alleged involvement in the arrangements.

Mr Adams, however, maintained that his involvement was limited to forwarding the May 19 letter through the appropriate administrative channels and that he had no prior knowledge of the alleged financial arrangements.