no notice of visa overstays from US, Canada – Kofi Adams

Minister for Sports and Recreation Kofi Adams has rejected claims that some members of Ghana’s government-sponsored delegation to the 2026 FIFA World Cup have remained in the United States or Canada following the tournament.

The issue emerged after the Minority in Parliament on Thursday, September 17, 2026, challenged the government’s account of the 431 people it sponsored to attend the tournament in North America.

The Minority alleged that the Sports Minister’s driver and a secretary at the office of the Ministry’s Chief Director were among the sponsored travellers who had not returned to Ghana.

According to reports on the parliamentary briefing, the Minority’s Ranking Member on the Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, identified the driver as Mr Okyere and alleged that he was still in Canada. The Minority also identified a secretary, referred to as Christie, as another sponsored traveller who had allegedly not returned.

The allegations contradict Kofi Adams’ account before Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee that all 431 government-sponsored travellers had returned to Ghana after the World Cup.

The Minority has subsequently called for the Ministry to publish the names and passport numbers of all 431 sponsored travellers to enable their travel and return status to be verified.

Mr Assafuah argued that the publication of the information would provide documentary evidence to settle questions surrounding the government’s account of the delegation.

The Minority has also raised broader questions about Ghana’s expenditure on the World Cup. The concerns followed the Sports Minister’s briefing to Parliament on the government’s spending and arrangements for the tournament.

Adams disclosed that the government spent about US$1.26 million to secure 2,922 tickets for Ghana’s three group-stage matches against Panama, England and Croatia.

The latest dispute over the sponsored delegation remains centred on conflicting accounts: the Minister’s position that all 431 sponsored travellers returned to Ghana, and the Minority’s allegations that at least some individuals remained abroad. The specific claims concerning the two individuals named by the Minority have not been independently established in the reports reviewed.