Sports Minister lied about knowledge of TRIBE Culture Fest – Assafuah
The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Sports and Recreation Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has accused the Minister of Sports and Recreation of being untruthful about his knowledge of TRIBE Culture Fest’s involvement in the alleged 2026 World Cup visa scandal.
Assafuah says an email from the United States Embassy indicates that the Ministry was aware of the company’s involvement well before March or April, contrary to claims attributed to the Minister.
Speaking on TV3’s NewDay on Monday, October 12, 2026, the MP said the correspondence showed that TRIBE Culture Fest had been introduced during earlier stakeholder engagements.
He quoted the email as stating that, building on discussions from the October 22, 2025, FIFA World Cup 2026 stakeholder meeting, the US Embassy was inviting stakeholders to a third meeting on the tournament.
According to Assafuah, the reference to the October 2025 engagement as a previous meeting suggests that discussions involving TRIBE Culture Fest had begun before then.
He said the email, signed by Mimi Kuukua Coofie of the US Embassy, followed engagements involving the National Sports Authority (NSA), the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and TRIBE Culture Fest.
Assafuah argued that the correspondence contradicts the Minister’s reported claim that he was unaware of the company’s involvement until March or April.
“If the Minister says that he is unaware of any meeting or he is unaware of TRIBE Culture Fest involvement with NSA, he is lying,” he said.
He further maintained that the email did not support claims that the Minister only became aware of the company’s role after March or April.
The comments come amid allegations that some Ghanaians seeking to travel to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada were charged between $8,000 and $9,000 under arrangements involving the NSA, GTA and TRIBE Culture Fest.
The alleged charges are higher than the reported official fees of $3,000 for applicants travelling to the United States and $2,000 for those travelling to Canada.
The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has maintained that there is no evidence that the Sports Minister, Kofi Adams, collected $8,000, $9,000 or $10,000 from any applicant.
Meanwhile, GTA Chief Executive Officer Maame Efua Houadjeto has denied personal involvement in the alleged sale of visas.
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