Former Deputy Sports Minister Pius Enam Hadzide has publicly challenged the National Sports Authority (NSA) over the creation of a secretariat and an appointment he says falls outside the organisation’s organogram. Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, October 12, he demanded clarity on who is responsible for the 2026 World Cup visa controversy.
"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," Hadzide said. He pointed to alleged payments and official correspondence as grounds for scrutiny, noting that journalists who unearthed the visa scandal now possess the documents.
Hadzide alleged that people associated with the NSA collected about $623,000 to facilitate World Cup visas. The authority has denied authorisation for the collection of money or the operation of a visa facilitation office. The Sports Ministry also denies wrongdoing, stating that forwarding documents through diplomatic channels did not amount to selecting applicants or guaranteeing visas. The police CID is investigating the allegations.
He defended the NPP’s criticism of Sports Minister Kofi Adams and Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, saying it rested on signed letters and accounts from people who claimed to have paid money. Hadzide contrasted this with his experience during the 2018 Australian visa controversy, where Ghanaians allegedly posed as journalists to enter Australia for the Commonwealth Games. He was suspended in April 2018, cleared and reinstated in July, and insists no one has publicly established that he was paid for travel to Australia.
"So for me, there should be clarity now on the 2018 so‑called Australia visa scandal," he added, calling for a reassessment of the episode. His comments come amid ongoing investigations and heightened scrutiny of the NSA’s operations ahead of Ghana’s hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Observers note that the NSA’s establishment of a secretariat and the appointment in question could signal a shift in the authority’s governance structure. The outcome of the CID investigation and any potential reforms will be closely watched by sports officials, politicians and the public alike.
