Eric Edem Agbana, the Member of Parliament for Ketu North, has urged the John Mahama-led government not to spend public funds on sending Ghanaian supporters to the 2026 World Cup.
The Ketu North MP stressed that the government must prioritise investment in sports infrastructure instead of using public funds to sponsor supporters.
According to Edem Agbana, he estimates that it will cost the government at least $9,000 (GHS96,524.73) to sponsor a single supporter for just the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He disclosed that the money that would be spent on sponsoring such trips could instead be invested in sports infrastructure like Astro turfs and sports complexes for communities.
Speaking on the Citi Eyewitness News on Monday, March 9, Edem Agbana explained, “I do not think that the government should use public funds to send supporters to the World Cup. It will cost the government, on average, a minimum of $9,000 per supporter just for the group stages.
This includes flights, match tickets, accommodation, and a small allowance. On average, that’s about $9,000. Now, let’s assume the government intends to send 2,000 supporters; we are talking about $18 million”.
The Ketu North MP added, “With two thousand supporters spread across 276 constituencies, it means each constituency would get fewer than ten people. If you ask me to bring even ten people from Ketu North to the World Cup at a cost of close to $90,000, I would tell you to rather use that money to construct an Astro turf or a sports complex for my constituents in Ketu North”.
“We have many people who can travel on their own to watch the games. We also have a lot of Ghanaians living in the countries where the World Cup will be played”.
“I believe we should instead invest in infrastructure. For example, I am planning to construct an Astro turf for my people in Dzozde. Beyond the World Cup, the community will still benefit from that Astro turf,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kofi Adams, the Minister of Sports and Recreation, has revealed plans to sponsor Police Officers and bloggers to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to the Sports Minister, they plan to send police officers to the World Cup to have the opportunity to learn large crowd management in the stadium.
The minister also reveal plan to send Emergency units, Creative Artistes and Bloggers to gain learn and gain exposure at the World Cup.
Kofi Adams explained that the idea was inspired by American streamer IShowSpeed’s visit to Africa.
Speaking in an interview with Adom FM, Kofi Adams disclosed, “It is not about chasing the ball for 90 minutes; we see it as an opportunity to learn. We would like to send a few people to study aspects of culture, such as fan mobilisation and support.
I have discussed with the IGP that we need to send personnel because we want to form a police unit for sports. So we want to send some police officers to the World Cup to observe crowd control in action and understand how it is done. We want to strengthen the security of the game, if my fundraising [sports fund] works well,” he said.
Kofi Adams further added, “A number of police officers will go, along with one or two members of the emergency response team. We also have creative artists, including bloggers, because it is an opportunity for them to build a base. We saw how IShowSpeed visited us, so if we send them to embark on a similar initiative, they can gain more followers”.
In related news, Kofi Adams has announced that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has proposed over $13 million for the Black Stars’ campaign at the 2026 World Cup.
According to Kofi Adams, the over $13 million for the Black Stars’ remains at the proposal stage, with discussions yet to be held with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for scrutiny before final approval.
He explained that the figures could either be reduced or maintained depending on the outcome of deliberations.
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@citisportsghana 🎥 🇬🇭 I would prefer the government to invest in sports infrastructure like the construction of astro turfs and sports complexes than to fly supporters to the World Cup— Hon. Eric Edem Agbana. #CitiSports #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #ghanafootball #blackstars #worldcup ♬ original sound – Citi Sports Ghana ⚽️