Govt Accused of Allocating World Cup Slots to NDC MPs and Party Supporters

Ghana’s parliamentary politics have collided with football once again, this time over allegations that the government has been distributing FIFA World Cup travel slots to Members of Parliament and party supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress.

Habib Iddrisu, the Deputy Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Tolon, made the accusations at a press briefing on Monday, claiming that each NDC MP had been allocated two slots, while every NDC constituency had been given three slots to facilitate visa applications for the upcoming tournament in the United States.

“Government is giving NDC MPs two slots and allocating three slots to every NDC constituency,” Mr Iddrisu alleged, adding that the beneficiaries had been sponsored to attend visa interviews at the United States Embassy.

Questions Over Funding and Transparency

The Minority’s concerns centre not only on the alleged partisan allocation but also on the source of the funds being used. With visa fees set at approximately $185 per person, Mr Iddrisu pressed the government to account for where the money was coming from.

“They have sponsored people to go to the embassy. How many people have they sponsored? Where is that money coming from? The minister and government need to answer and respond to some of these questions,” he said.

The allegations raise uncomfortable questions about the government’s earlier assurances that the state would not sponsor supporters to attend the World Cup. Mr Iddrisu pointed to what he described as conflicting messages, noting that while the President had indicated no public funds would be used for supporters’ travel, constituency-level allocations appeared to tell a different story.

Demand for Parliamentary Briefing

Beyond the allocation dispute, Mr Iddrisu criticised the Ministry of Youth and Sports for what he called a troubling lack of transparency regarding Ghana’s overall preparations for the Black Stars’ participation in the tournament.

He drew comparisons with the previous NPP administration, which he said had comprehensively briefed Parliament ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the Africa Cup of Nations, including providing post-tournament expenditure reports.

“When we were going to Qatar, the minister responsible for Youth and Sports briefed Parliament on the preparation, budget and everything. At the end of the tournament, they came back to Parliament and gave us the detailed expenditure,” he said.

The transparency concerns echo broader governance questions that have dogged Ghana’s public finances in recent months. The country’s budget transparency score plunged to just 22 percent in the 2025 Open Budget Survey, less than half the 46 percent it recorded in the previous assessment.

Mr Iddrisu demanded that the Sports Minister appear before Parliament to disclose the number of match tickets procured for the tournament, the total amount raised through donations, and a full accounting of how those funds had been utilised. The government has not yet responded publicly to the allegations.

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