Ghana’s Sports Ministry is again under scrutiny. The 2026 FIFA World Cup visa controversy has led to the suspension of the head of the National Sports Authority, a police investigation, and calls from the Minority in Parliament to sack the Sports Minister.
It is a familiar story. Since the early 2000s, the ministry has faced a steady stream of allegations about missing money, inflated contracts, questionable travel lists, and questionable spending on the Black Stars. Some cases ended in convictions or dismissals. Many others faded without anyone being held to account.
Here is a look back at the major controversies.
2001: Black Stars bonus money vanishes on the way to Khartoum
The first major case came in 2001. About $46,000 meant for Black Stars bonuses disappeared on the way to a match in Sudan.
President John Kufuor sacked the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mallam Yussif Issah. An Accra High Court later convicted him of theft and causing financial loss to the state. The court sentenced him to four years in prison, ordered him to refund the money, and fined him.
It remains the clearest case of a sports minister being convicted over public funds.
2009: Muntaka resigns over expenses claims
In 2009, the ministry’s chief accountant accused Minister Alhaji Mubarak Muntaka of using ministry money for personal expenses. The claims reportedly included about GH¢12,000 for baby items and a private resort trip in Côte d’Ivoire.
Muntaka resigned. No charges were reported.
2011: Maputo All Africa Games contract questioned
Ghana’s participation in the 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo produced another controversy. A committee found that a $620,000 contract had been awarded without due process, and also cited procurement breaches and abuse of power.
Worlanyo Agra headed the National Sports Authority at the time. According to reports, no sanctions followed.
2013: The GYEEDA scandal
In 2013, the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA), then under the Ministry of Youth and Sports, became one of the period’s biggest scandals.
Investigators reported lopsided contracts, training programmes that never took place, and service providers who were paid without delivering. One firm, Goodwill Consulting Limited, was reportedly paid over $2.3 million for no work done.
The report named former minister Clement Kofi Humado and former GYEEDA coordinator Abuga Pele.
2014: The Brazil World Cup cash airlift
Few sports scandals drew as much international attention as the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Black Stars players threatened to boycott training over unpaid appearance fees. The government responded by flying millions of dollars in cash to Brazil, with reported figures ranging from $3 million to $4 million. Images of players kissing bundles of dollar notes circulated worldwide.
The ministry also spent GH¢4.48 million on supporters travelling to Brazil. A Commission of Inquiry followed, and Sports Minister Elvis Afriyie Ankrah and his deputy, Joseph Yamin, lost their jobs.
2018: Fake “journalists” deported from Australia
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast, more than 50 Ghanaians were detained and deported by Australian immigration officials. Many posed as journalists.
Two National Sports Authority staff working with the Ghana Olympic Committee were accused of adding non-athletes to the accreditation system. Deputy Sports Minister Pius Hadzide and NSA Director-General Robert Sarfo-Mensah were suspended pending investigation.
2019–2024: Questions over Black Stars spending
Ghana’s spending on major tournaments has repeatedly drawn criticism:
- AFCON 2019 (Egypt): The government spent $4.5 million. Minister Isaac Asiamah defended the figures amid questions over who travelled at the state’s expense.
- 2022 World Cup (Qatar): About $5 million went on the Black Stars. The ministry spent more than GH¢142 million on senior national teams overall. Minister Mustapha Ussif defended the spending.
- AFCON 2023 (Côte d’Ivoire): MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa alleged that the ministry and the Ghana Football Association had agreed on a budget of about $8.5 million, even though the team went out in the group stage. The minister later said they spent about $3 million.
No wrongdoing was established in any of these cases. Even so, they fuelled public concern about value for money.
The GH¢580 million African Games audit
The most damaging finding in years came in 2026. An Auditor-General special audit, commissioned by President John Dramani Mahama, examined the 2023 African Games hosted in Accra.
The audit found irregularities totalling more than GH¢580 million. The findings included:
- inflated contracts
- about GH¢150.6 million in contracts going to companies linked to the same beneficial owner
- more than GH¢20 million in high-risk cash payments
- defects at Games facilities, including cracks, water leakage and corrosion
The audit recommended sanctions against former Minister Mustapha Ussif, former Chief Director William Kartey and former Local Organising Committee chairman Dr Kwaku Ofosu-Asare. Ussif has denied any wrongdoing.
Appearing before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, current Sports Minister Kofi Adams said the Games had been run “with so much carelessness.”
2026: The World Cup visa scandal
The ministry now faces a fresh storm over visa arrangements for Ghanaians travelling to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
The controversy centres on a list of 90 people the National Sports Authority put forward as “volunteers and event coordinators” to support US visa applications. The Ghana Tourism Authority and a private firm, TRIBE Culture Fest, are also involved.
On 1 October, President Mahama suspended NSA Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah pending the outcome of a police CID investigation.
Minority demands sackings
On 7 October, the Minority in Parliament, led by Vincent Ekow Assafuah, presented a 49-page statement. It called for the dismissal of Sports Minister Kofi Adams and Ghana Tourism Authority CEO Maame Efua Houadjeto, saying the suspension of the NSA boss was “not enough.”
Ministry fires back
The ministry has called the claims “baseless.” It insists it only forwarded the NSA’s request to the US Embassy, which alone decides who gets a visa, and that no evidence shows the minister benefited financially. It says it is cooperating fully with the CID and wants refunds and sanctions for anyone found culpable.
The investigation is ongoing, and no findings or charges have been announced.
A pattern that refuses to go away
Across 25 years, the scandals share common threads. Most involve major tournaments, cash handled outside proper controls, contracts awarded without due process, or travel lists padded with people who had no business being there.
Accountability has been uneven. Only one minister has been convicted. Others resigned or were removed, and several cases ended without sanctions.
As the World Cup visa probe unfolds, Ghanaians are asking whether this time will be different.
