More details are emerging about the alleged visa racketeering scandal involving Ghana’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which led to the suspension of Yaw Ampofo Ankrah as the director of the National Sports Authority (NSA).
The latest details show how the former National Sports Authority (NSA) Chief Operations Officer (COO), Yaw Gyamfi Kusi Awere, allegedly snitched on his partners in the racketeering, including Ampofo Ankrah and the CEO of TRIBE Culture Fest, Nana Boateng Gyimah.
Gyamfi reportedly petitioned the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to implicate himself and name the other alleged beneficiaries of the visa facilitation scandal because he was under pressure from victims demanding refunds.
According to Joy FM Sports Editor Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo, Gyamfi’s decision to involve the police stemmed from his inability to secure refunds from other parties who allegedly received portions of the money collected from individuals seeking to get United States and/or Canadian visas for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Fentuo, who made these claims during a panel discussion on the October 12, 2026, edition of JoyNews PM Express, explained that Gyamfi had allegedly given back his share of the proceeds to the victims but continued to face pressure because he was the person who directly collected the money from them.
He said that Gyamfi Kusi Awere maintained that he had not kept all the money collected and had therefore asked the other alleged beneficiaries, including the Tribe Fest CEO and Ampofo Ankrah, to return their respective portions so the outstanding refunds could be settled.
However, the alleged refusal of the other parties to return the money reportedly intensified the pressure on the former NSA official, who believed that the victims would continue to hold him responsible because they had dealt directly with him.
According to the sports journalist, Gyamfi subsequently decided to petition the CID, naming the other parties in an attempt to compel them to return the money and enable him to pay the victims.
Fentuo further indicated that Gyamfi believed Tribe Fest had received a larger portion of the money and should therefore take responsibility for refunding its share.
JoyNews reporter Muftawu Nabila Abdulai, who was also on the programme, said that the victims were 85 of the 90 people who paid between $10,000 and $15,000 for the World Cup visas but did not get them.
The allegations suggested that money collected from applicants was distributed among several individuals, with amounts allegedly set aside for different people involved in the process.
He alleged that, under the agreement, $4,000 was the actual payment for the process, $1,500 was allegedly allocated to the suspended NSA Director-General, $1,500 to the former NSA COO, another US$5,000 was reportedly retained, and the remaining $1,000 was allegedly given to the CEO of TRIBE Culture Fest, Nana Boateng Gyimah.
Watch a video of their remarks below:
https://t.co/z9m83UP60X
— KALYJAY (@gyaigyimii) October 13, 2026
