Assafuah Questions $10,000 Payments to Black Stars Officials at 2026 World Cup
The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has questioned alleged payments made to some officials who accompanied Ghana’s Black Stars to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
His concerns followed an appearance by the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, before Parliament’s Select Committee on Sports, where he accounted for expenditure related to Ghana’s participation in the tournament.
Speaking in an interview with Asempa FM, the Old Tafo Member of Parliament said the Minister had attempted to compare the payments with arrangements made during previous tournaments.
However, Assafuah said some of the reported amounts paid to officials still required further explanation.
He mentioned alleged payments of $10,000 or more to people described as purse holders, chefs, caterers and security officers attached to the Black Stars’ delegation.
Assafuah questioned why an official whose responsibility was to hold money for players and other officials would receive an alleged $10,000 payment.
“You take people to the United States and Canada as part of the officials of the Black Stars. Then you pay that person $10,000,” Assafuah said.
He also raised questions about the amounts reportedly paid to other support staff, particularly in relation to the number of days they spent with the team during the tournament.
“You pay a chef 1.2 billion old cedis. You pay a caterer 1.2 billion old cedis. You pay a security officer 120,000. For how many days?” he asked.
The comments form part of wider concerns over expenditure and accountability surrounding Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the officials who travelled with the national team.
The Minority in Parliament has also been calling for a detailed account of expenditure related to the Black Stars’ World Cup campaign, including operational costs and other payments.
Ghana’s campaign at the 2026 World Cup ended in the Round of 32 after the Black Stars suffered a 1-0 defeat to Colombia in Kansas City. Jhon Arias scored the only goal of the match in the 14th minute.
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