Ibrahim Sannie Daara, a former Ghana Football Association (GFA) Communications Director, has disclosed that a huge number of Ghanaian football supporters and officials have been denied United States visas ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to Saanie Daara, over 400 football fans, officials, and even club owners were denied visas.
He highlighted that the US Embassy in Ghana appears to have a ready-made rejection template waiting for Ghanaian football fans.
In a post on Facebook, Ibrahim Sannie Daara wrote, “𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗨𝗦𝗔 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝘆-𝗮𝗻𝗱-𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 😭
The American Embassy in Ghana appears to have a ready-made rejection template waiting for Ghanaian football fans hoping to travel to the United States for the 2026 World Cup.
Since I made a post last night, more than 20 football fans have sent me their visa rejection letters which is the same as the others who have been rejected. So far more than 400 are said to have been ‘bounced’ including top football officials and club owners.
For many Ghana supporters, the dream of cheering the Black Stars in America is being stopped not by opponents on the pitch, but by Section 214(b) at the embassy window.
The message is simple but painful: “We are not convinced you will come back home after the World Cup.”
Ibrahim Sannie Daara further shared a copy of the copy-and-paste rejection letter given to all bounced Ghanaian football fans.
Below is the text of the letter given to most of those rejected:
“EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN GHANA
Dear Applicant,
This is to inform you that you have been found ineligible for a non-immigrant visa under Section 214(b) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. A denial under Section 214(b) means that you were not able to demonstrate that your intended activities in the United States would be consistent with the classification of the nonimmigrant visa for which you applied.
While each nonimmigrant visa classification has its own unique requirements, one requirement for nearly all visa classifications is for the applicant to demonstrate that they have a residence in a foreign country, which they have no intention of abandoning.
Applicants usually meet this requirement by demonstrating that they have strong ties overseas that indicate that they will return to a foreign country after a temporary visit to the United States.
Such ties include professional, work, school, family, or social links to a foreign country. You have not demonstrated that you have the ties that will compel you to return to your home country after your travel to the United States.
Today’s denial cannot be appealed. However, you may reapply at any time. If you decide to reapply, you must submit a new application form and photo, pay the visa application fee again, and make a new appointment to be interviewed by a consular officer.
If you choose to reapply, you should be prepared to provide information that was not presented in your original application or to demonstrate that your circumstances have changed since that application”.
Some netizens reacting to Sannie Daara’s post stated, “I am a US citizen living here in Ghana. Even I knew when they posted for Ghanaians to apply for the visa to go to America to see the World Cup that it was a scam to take the people of Ghana’s money. The Embassy knew that they would not allow that many people to go to America. They should do the needful and return the people’s money. It doesn’t matter if you have ties to the US or Ghana”.
A netizen added, “U.S. Embassy Ghana, you people are very smart. 🙏🙏
Thanks for the good work. Hold on to those visas for people who will genuinely need them after the World Cup. They thought they could take advantage of the World Cup to find their way out of a working economy and reduce inflation. In fact, the dollar is down from 30 cedis to 11”.
See the post below: