Parliament’s Minority Caucus is calling on the Auditor-General to conduct a special audit of two 2026 FIFA World Cup raffles, alleging that 229 declared winners were left off official visa lists submitted to the United States and Canadian embassies.
Old Tafo MP and Ranking Member on the Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, made the demand at a press briefing on Thursday, 5 November. He described the raffle exercises as turning into “fraud” and “extortion” and said the caucus has also filed petitions with the Special Prosecutor and the Data Protection Commission.
What went wrong with the raffles?
The audit request covers two promotions: the first launched on 4 November 2025, and a second on 18 March 2026. Under the “World Cup Bonanza,” the Ghana Football Association partnered with the National Lottery Authority (NLA) and operator Rambell to offer 220 supporters subsidised travel, accommodation, match tickets and visa support.
Assafuah alleged organisers cancelled the first raffle after collecting GH¢10 stakes from the public — with no clear commitment to refund monies. “People staked their money, some even as much as GH¢10,000 in total, only for the promotion to be scrapped without refunds,” he said. He is demanding answers: Were all entrants refunded? How many winners actually travelled?
In the second raffle, Assafuah claimed winners were given just 95 minutes to submit passport details to a contact in Mali — or forfeit their prize. Across both draws, 229 declared winners were never included on official visa lists sent to the embassies.
The opposition also wants full disclosure on the website ghworldcupraffle.com, ticket sales figures, how the NLA was involved, and where proceeds were deposited. They are also seeking a full breakdown of 2,922 World Cup match tickets purchased with public funds.
Minister Rejects Claims, Says Refunds Issued
Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Iddie Adams has dismissed the allegations as baseless. He confirmed everyone who entered the first raffle received a full refund. Regarding the second draw, run by Impuntu, he said five of the 31 winners secured visas, attended matches and returned safely.
“Every pesewa from the Impuntu raffle remains untouched with the fundraising committee,” the minister assured. He also rejected claims winners were directed to foreign contacts, saying: “That’s a complete lie — the winners have been engaging directly with our officials.” Affected winners, he added, would be compensated or offered trips to future tournaments.
Wider Probe & Next Steps
The raffle dispute runs parallel to a broader investigation into allegations that over US$600,000 was collected from applicants charged between US$7,000 and US$14,000 for World Cup visas — a matter now with the CID and which led to the suspension of NSA boss Yaw Ampofo Ankrah. Both the Sports Ministry and Ghana Tourism Authority deny taking money for visa approvals.
Assafuah confirmed he has declined to appear before an internal committee set up by President John Dramani Mahama, citing unpublished terms of reference. The Minority is instead pushing for the parliamentary Youth and Sports Committee to hold formal public hearings into the matter.
