US Embassy flagged four NSA World Cup visa applicants, says Minority

Ghana’s Parliamentary Minority says the US Embassy’s Fraud Prevention Unit flagged four applicants included in the National Sports Authority’s (NSA) visa arrangements for the 2026 FIFA World Cup over discrepancies concerning their positions and links to the authority.

The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, said the concerns were raised on 18 March 2026 in relation to Ralph Egyir Quianoo, Belinda Tsey, Francis Frimpong Agyemang and Beryl Joycelyn Baabe Duut.

According to Mr Assafuah, the four applicants were presented to the US Embassy as an Operations Coordinator, Business Administrator, World Cup Coordinator and Research and Technology Officer respectively.

However, he said the Minority’s checks indicated that none of those positions appeared in the NSA’s organisational structure.

Mr Assafuah said the embassy’s Fraud Prevention Unit subsequently requested employment letters or other documents to establish the applicants’ relationship with the NSA.

The NSA, according to the Minority, responded on the same day with a letter confirming the appointments and travel support for the four individuals.

“This is perhaps the most critical point in the chronology. On 18 March 2026, the Fraud Prevention Unit of the United States Embassy identified discrepancies involving four applicants,” Mr Assafuah said.

“A foreign diplomatic mission’s Fraud Prevention Unit identified discrepancies. It sought evidence establishing whether the individuals were actually employed by the NSA,” he added.

Mr Assafuah said the development raised questions about how the applicants were identified and presented to the US authorities.

“The question had become: Who created the institutional identities under which these people were presented to a foreign government?” he asked.

The Minority is calling for an investigation to determine who prepared the list of applicants, who verified the information provided and who authorised its submission to the US Embassy.

The allegations form part of wider scrutiny of Ghana’s arrangements for the 2026 World Cup, including concerns over visa facilitation and travel arrangements for the tournament.