Suspended National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah has expressed “200%” confidence that he will be exonerated by the Presidency over his alleged involvement in the World Cup visa scandal.
Ankrah was suspended by President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday, October 1, following controversy over an alleged visa facilitation arrangement linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The controversy followed allegations that about US$623,000 had been received from prospective travellers seeking assistance with visa applications and travel arrangements for the tournament.
About 90 people reportedly paid between $10,000 and $15,000 each, but only five of them obtained visas for the global showpiece, which was staged in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Ankrah reiterated his innocence in the visa scandal.
“I’m 200% confident that I’ll be exonerated,” he said during the Beach Soccer AFCON qualifier.
“People should be very cautious about what they put out there that they cannot verify,” he said, calling on journalists to verify their sources and report the developments professionally.
“I’m very happy that so far the investigations have gone very smoothly, and we’re just waiting for the final report to be released,” he added.
Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong has since been appointed acting Director-General of the National Sports Authority following Ankrah’s suspension.