BY ISSAH OLEGOR
Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has disclosed that only five out of 31 winners of a second raffle organised to facilitate travel to the 2026 FIFA World Cup successfully secured United States visas, raising further questions about the controversial fundraising and travel arrangements.
The minister said the government was working on a compensation package for the remaining winners who were unable to obtain visas and consequently could not travel to the tournament.
Speaking amid growing public scrutiny over the World Cup visa and fundraising controversy, Adams explained that the second raffle was organised by an entity identified as Mpuntu and produced 31 winners.
According to him, travel documents for all 31 winners were processed, but only five applicants were successful in securing visas, leaving the majority unable to proceed with their intended travel arrangements.
Adams insisted that the funds generated through the second raffle had not been used and remained in the custody of the fundraising committee for the purpose of compensating those who could not travel.
“Every pesewa of the raffle that was run by Mpuntu has not been touched. That money has not been touched. The fundraising committee is still holding on to those funds to make sure that everybody is appropriately compensated,” he stated.
The minister also provided details about an earlier group of raffle winners, estimated at between seven and ten people, whose travel documents were processed following a meeting with the organisers.
He said the initial group had already received refunds but was subsequently asked to resubmit the money to Rambell to continue with the original travel arrangements.
However, according to Adams, almost all the individuals declined the request and opted to retain their refunds.
His explanation comes amid increasing concerns about the different fundraising arrangements, the role of private entities and the handling of money collected from individuals seeking opportunities to travel to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The minister also rejected claims by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority in Parliament concerning the use of foreign telephone numbers in the fundraising exercise, describing the allegations as false.
“If the NPP Minority in Parliament is running a story and talking about foreign numbers and what have you, that’s a complete lie,” Adams said.
The controversy has attracted considerable public attention, with questions being raised about the transparency of the raffle arrangements, the visa facilitation process and the responsibilities of the institutions and private organisations involved.
The Minority has separately called for a special audit of the 2026 World Cup raffles and ticket funds, while NPP MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah has rejected the proposed presidential-level investigation and demanded an independent inquiry into the matter.
