Pius Hadzide questions NSA’s decision to give Tribe Culture Fest secretariat amid World Cup visa controversy

Former Deputy Sports Minister Pius Enam Hadzide has questioned the establishment of a secretariat at the National Sports Authority (NSA), demanding clarity over its role in the controversy surrounding Ghanas 2026 FIFA World Cup visa arrangements.His comments come amid allegations that individuals associated with the NSA collected about $623,000 to facilitate visas for supporters travelling to the World Cup. A scheme that was in collaboration with Tribe Culture Fest, an organisation the NSA gave an office at the Accra Sports Stadium.The NSA has denied authorising the collection of money or operating a visa facilitation office, while the Sports Ministry has also denied wrongdoing. The police Criminal Investigations Department is investigating the allegations.Speaking on Joy News, Hadzide also challenged an appointment he said was outside the authoritys organisational structure.But we must be clear as to who was responsible for what in this case, and a secretariat has been established at the National Sports Authority (NSA). An appointment alien to the organogram has been made, he said.The former Akufo-Addo government appointee cited alleged payments and official correspondence as grounds for investigating the roles of individuals and institutions involved in the visa facilitation process.You are having people confessing that they paid money, he added.Hadzide said correspondence passed through the Sports and Recreation Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry to the embassy, arguing that the documents provided grounds for scrutiny.Hadzide defended criticism by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of Sports Minister Kofi Adams and NSA Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, saying the concerns were based on signed letters and accounts from people who claimed to have paid.He also called for a reassessment of the 2018 Australian visa controversy, which led to his suspension before he was cleared and reinstated.Unfortunately, in my own case, I didnt find the basis, but I carried the cross, he said.So for me, there should be clarity now on the 2018 so-called Australia visa scandal, Hadzide added.