Wonder Mandel, the Special Assistant to Kofi Adams, the Minister of Sports and Recreation, has rejected claims by the Minority in Parliament implicating his boss in the 2026 FIFA World Cup visa scandal.
According to Wonder Mandel, the claims by the NPP minority are “a baseless and cacophonous noise.”
He alleged that Vincent Assafuah was attempting to intentionally tarnish the image of the minister, stressing that the Minority’s statement did not implicate Kofi Adams in any wrongdoing.
Wonder Mandel, however, stressed that the ministry would verify the claims further and respond accordingly.
Speaking on SportyFM Ghana, Wonder Mandel stated, “On the part of the minister and the ministry, we will describe this as a cacophony of noise, baseless accusations not grounded in law or any form of law. It’s almost like he has a charcoal in his hands and is looking for a white shirt to stain. There is absolutely nothing in his claims that should warrant the sacking of Honourable Kofi Adams.
“In his own 49-page press statement that Honourable Vincent Assafuah read yesterday, in no area of that statement did he cite a wrongdoing that Ghanaians are listening to right now; Honourable Assafuah cited a wrongdoing on the minister,” he told Sporty FM.
Wonder continued, “Because of this, the minister should be sacked from office. So, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no wrongdoing in this issue. And if anyone has any wrongdoing, we are here to discuss it. We are here to go into the details. We will make sure fact verification is done, and the right information is communicated to Ghanaians,” he said.
His comment follows, the Minority in Parliament who raised fresh concerns over Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup visa arrangements, alleging that state institutions submitted names of unverified personnel, while some applicants reportedly paid between US$7,000 and US$14,000 for visa processing.
According to the Minority, the World Cup scandal involves the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the National Sports Authority (NSA).
The Minority is calling for a broader investigation into the processes used to secure visa opportunities linked to Ghana’s participation in activities surrounding the tournament.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, the Ranking Member on the Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, alleged that some individuals paid between US$7,000 and US$14,000 for visa processing.
Ekow Assafuah further alleged that two individuals identified as Chase and Diesel were involved in collecting payments and processing visas.
“Our investigation also raises questions concerning allegations that individuals who were not GTA staff were being offered, or processed, under these arrangements, at fees reportedly ranging from $7,000 to $14,000 per person,” he alleged.
The MP said the Minority wanted the GTA to explain why individuals who were not employees of the Authority were allegedly given access to visa opportunities linked to its World Cup-related activities.
“If these allegations are accurate, the CEO of the GTA must explain to taxpayers why individuals outside the Ghana Tourism Authority were allegedly being processed or offered access to visa opportunities associated with allocations intended for the authority’s World Cup-related activities,” he said.
According to the Minority, only two of the 50 names submitted by the GTA to the US Embassy as media personnel could be verified as professional media practitioners.
“Of the 50 names submitted, only two persons, Philip Narh and Andy Dosty of Multimedia, both associated with Multimedia, were identified as media practitioners,” Mr Assafuah said.
The Old Tafo MP claimed that the remaining 48 names could not be verified as media practitioners.
The Minority has also raised questions about the use of visa allocations reportedly secured by the GTA, claiming that the Authority’s Chief Executive Officer was allocated 400 US visa slots and another 600 by Canada.
“If these allocations are accurate, which I believe they are accurate, the public is entitled to know how many visas were ultimately issued, how many applications were rejected and how the allocated slots were utilised,” Mr Assafuah said.
The minority allegations also extend to the NSA, where the NPP minority claim that only 15 of 102 names submitted to the Canadian Embassy as NSA personnel or affiliates could be verified as actual employees of the Authority; according to the Minority, 87 names were unverified.
Mr Assafuah further alleged that some of the names were assigned positions that did not exist within the NSA’s organisational structure.
Among the positions questioned were Operations Coordinator, Business Administrator, World Cup Coordinator and Research and Technology Officer.
He said the US Embassy’s Fraud Prevention Unit had also raised concerns about four applicants and requested documentation to establish their employment with the NSA.
“So who were the other 87? Why were they on an NSA list? Why were portfolios created for them? Who prepared those portfolios? Who approved them? Who paid for their processing?” he questioned.
The allegations come amid an ongoing investigation into Ghana’s World Cup-related visa arrangements.
President John Dramani Mahama has asked former NSA Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah to step aside, with Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong appointed as acting Director-General.
The NSA has denied involvement in any alleged visa facilitation scheme and said it is cooperating with the police investigation.
The Minority is calling for all officials and institutions involved in the visa arrangements to be thoroughly investigated, with Mr Assafuah insisting that any criminal conduct established through the probe should result in prosecution.
See the post below:
It’s almost as if Hon Assafuah has a charcoal in his hand and is looking for a white shirt to stain; there’s nothing in his claim that warrants the dismissal of the Sports Minister – Wonder Mandel, Special Assistant to Kofi Adams #SportyBreakfast https://t.co/CkLvkbkIZt
— SportyFM Ghana (@SportyFM_) October 8, 2026
@ghnow_ Hon. Vincent Assafuah has detailed his allegations surrounding the visa arrangements involving the NSA, GTA and Ministry of Sports. #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ The Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly has evacuated shoe sellers and other vendors operating near the Tetteh Quashie Roundabout around Villaggio following concerns over unauthorised markets and structures. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
