The Minority Caucus in Parliament has demanded a comprehensive, line-by-line account of how the GH¢58 million allocated by the government for Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup was spent.
The Caucus has also called on the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and other relevant institutions to account for all funds received from FIFA in connection with the tournament, including monies for preparations and tournament-related activities.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament, the Ranking Member of the Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, said the demand was aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of public and private resources committed to the Black Stars’ campaign.
The Old Tafo MP said the Ministry must publish a detailed breakdown of expenditure on flights, accommodation, internal transportation, laundry, training camps, logistics, catering, security and tickets.
Breakdown of $5m advance
Mr. Assafuah said the Minister for Sports and Recreation, who appeared before the Youth and Sports Committee on Thursday, September 17, had provided explanations on the reported GH¢58 million expenditure.
According to him, the Minister explained that Black Stars players received $100,000 each as appearance fees, totalling about $2.6 million, while payments to the technical team and other officials, including honoraria and per diems, brought expenditure to $4,670,339 out of a $5 million advance.
Mr. Assafuah, however, said the explanation did not provide sufficient details on operational expenditure.
“We acknowledge these figures, but where is the detailed breakdown of the expenditure on flights, accommodation, internal transportation, laundry, training camps, logistics, catering, security, tickets and other operational expenses?” he asked.
He cited a reported GFA draft budget that allocated $15,000 for laundry and $38,000 for internal transportation and demanded details of the actual amounts spent and the service providers involved.
“What contracts were signed? What were the applicable rates? And what amounts were ultimately paid?” he asked.
The Ranking Member said while the Minority was not challenging the approved payments to players and technical staff, Ghanaians deserved a comprehensive account of how the entire $5 million advance, equivalent to about GH¢58 million, was utilised.
Call for account of donations
The Minority also demanded a full reconciliation of private and corporate contributions reportedly made in support of the Black Stars.
Mr. Assafuah cited reported contributions from individuals and companies including Ibrahim Mahama of Engineers and Planners ($2 million), Shatta Wale ($100,000), Stonebwoy ($101,000), Ghana Gas (GH¢5 million), GCB Bank PLC (GH¢5 million), Ecobank Ghana Limited (GH¢3 million) and Gold Fields Ghana ($2 million), among others.
He said reported dollar-denominated contributions and pledges amounted to $7.516 million, while cedi-denominated contributions and pledges stood at GH¢33.08 million.
He further put the total corporate contributions in cedis at GH¢115.756 million.
“These contributions cannot simply disappear into a general pool without accountability,” Mr. Assafuah said.
He called for details of every contribution received, including the date and account into which each payment was made and the institution or individual responsible for receiving the funds.
431 supporters facilitated
The Minority also questioned the government’s mobilisation of supporters for the tournament.
Mr. Assafuah said the government had earlier indicated that it would not undertake mass transportation of supporters because of the sizeable Ghanaian population in the United States and Canada.
He said, nevertheless, that the government facilitated the travel of 431 supporters, with expenditure reportedly covering some combination of airfares, match tickets, internal transportation, accommodation and stipends.
He demanded that the Ministry publish the criteria used to select the supporters and provide the total cost of the exercise.
The Caucus also called for a complete reconciliation of the 3,000 World Cup tickets reportedly purchased, including tickets allocated, used, unused, transferred or resold.
It further called for an investigation into reported ticketing irregularities and allegations of ticket resale.
Call for action over NSA Director-General
Mr. Assafuah also raised concerns about reports that the Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA) and some staff had appeared before the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for questioning over an alleged fraudulent World Cup visa-facilitation arrangement.
He stressed that the Minority was not prejudging the investigation or declaring anyone guilty before the facts were established.
However, he argued that the head of a state institution being questioned by police over allegations connected to activities within or around the institution should step aside while investigations continued.
The Minority therefore called on the President to dismiss the NSA Director-General or, at minimum, require him to step aside pending the conclusion of the investigation.
The Caucus said the various demands were intended to ensure that all public, FIFA, corporate and private resources associated with Ghana’s 2026 World Cup campaign were properly accounted for.
Source : www.kumasimail.com
