Ankrah's lawyer rejects World Cup visa claims as Sarpong takes over at NSA

Pinned summary · as of 21:27

Yaw Ampofo Ankrah is no longer running the National Sports Authority (NSA), and Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong of the University of Education, Winneba, has been named acting Director-General. Mr Ankrah's lawyer, Jerry Avenorgbor, has now publicly rejected allegations that people seeking help with visas and travel for the 2026 FIFA World Cup were charged money, and says the police inquiry will clear his client. The NSA has also said it approved no such arrangement.

What we know

• Mr Ankrah has left the post of NSA Director-General, and Prof Sarpong, an academic at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), has been named acting head of the Authority.
• President John Dramani Mahama disbanded the NSA's governing board on 2 September 2026. Prof Sarpong had been one of its members, and Mr Ankrah, who also sat on it, carried on running the Authority's daily work afterwards.
• The Minority in Parliament pressed for Mr Ankrah to be suspended or dismissed while the matter was looked into. It alleged that over US$600,000 was taken from people hoping to get visa and travel help for the tournament, and said certain applicants were charged up to US$8,000. None of this has been proved.
• The NSA has said it never approved a scheme to arrange visas or take money from the public, and that its lawyers are working with the police.
• The NSA stated back in September that its link with TRIBE FEST, a FIFA-licensed partner, gave nobody permission to collect cash for visa procurement.
• Investigators are reported to have questioned Mr Ankrah along with other officials of the Authority, and Mr Ankrah is said to have denied wrongdoing.
• Mr Avenorgbor, speaking in media interviews on Thursday, 1 October, called the allegations false and aimed at damaging Mr Ankrah's reputation. He said his client had collected no money from anyone and arranged no visas, and that the investigation would bear this out.
• Mr Avenorgbor also said the case is with the police Economic Crime Unit based at the force's headquarters, whose officers, by his account, have spent weeks on it and summoned several individuals and organisations. He described Tribe as a private company active in World Cup-related activity, separate from the NSA.
• Vincent Ekow Assafuah, who leads the Minority side on Parliament's Youth and Sports Committee, said Mr Ankrah's exit does not settle the matter. He argued that the Sports and Recreation Minister bears responsibility and ought to lose his job.
• Concern has been voiced over the state of the Accra Sports Stadium and the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, and Mr Ankrah had faced scrutiny over how the country's sports facilities are run and maintained.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Accounts differ on what happened to Mr Ankrah. Citi Newsroom and SportsWorldGhana said he was removed, and Chale News, citing GhanaWeb, said he was sacked. MyJoyOnline and Onua Online reported a suspension, with MyJoyOnline citing a letter from the Secretary to the President, Calitus Mahama, dated 1 October, that ties it to the CID inquiry and calls it an administrative step rather than a finding of wrongdoing. Graphic Online said he was asked to step down, and Ghanaian News (Canada) said he was told to step aside.
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  Reports differ on who is leading the police inquiry. MyJoyOnline, YEN.com.gh and Ghanaian News (Canada) said the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) is involved, while Mr Avenorgbor told Citi Newsroom, MyJoyOnline and Chale News it is the Economic Crime Unit and not the BNI. Chale News added that no end date has been given for that inquiry.
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  MyJoyOnline and Onua Online gave the sum allegedly received from prospective travellers as about US$623,000, a more exact figure than the Minority's over US$600,000; neither amount has been verified.
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  MyJoyOnline reported that a petition lodged with the police on 8 September accused people connected to the NSA of taking money from travellers on the promise of arranging their World Cup visas and trips. No other report has confirmed this.
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  Mr Assafuah alleged that promotional material for the visa arrangement was shown at NSA offices and stadium facilities. This has not been confirmed by other reports.
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  YEN.com.gh reported that Mr Ankrah posted a Facebook message telling people not to be alarmed and saying the President is always right, without addressing the allegations directly. YEN.com.gh also said the police inquiry was still active and that the claims do not by themselves establish criminal liability against anyone.
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  MyJoyOnline reported that a row over the hiring of 17 staff led the NSA board to order management to cancel those appointments, while Rainbow Radio Online linked the leadership change to criticism of recent hiring and the upkeep of state sports facilities. Neither account has been confirmed by other reports.
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  Pulse Ghana and The Ghana Report said the Presidency indicated that the NSA ranked among nine state bodies whose boards were dissolved, with replacements to be set up in due course; the Presidency's own statement has not been seen in other reports.
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  Descriptions of Prof Sarpong's posts vary. YEN.com.gh and Graphic Online called him Dean of Student Affairs at UEW, MyJoyOnline and Ghanaian News (Canada) said he has coordinated grassroots and school sport for the sports ministry, and Adom Online described him as Director of School Sports.

Why it matters for Ghana

The NSA runs state sports administration, so a change at the top while police inquiries continue affects how stadiums and national programmes are managed. Worry over the Accra Sports Stadium and Baba Yara Sports Stadium adds to the pressure on the authority. For people who sought help with World Cup trips, the outcome of the police inquiry will show whether money was paid for arrangements nobody authorised.