News:
November 6, 2026
Minister Denies World Cup Raffle Fraud Allegations, Insists All Stakers Refunded and Funds Untouched
Minister for Sports and Recreation Kofi Adams has strongly refuted allegations made by Ranking Member Vincent Ekow Assafuah regarding the government’s World Cup raffle, insisting that all stakers—including winners—were refunded and that raffle funds remain untouched.
Addressing the claims, Adams explained that the policy was designed to reward individuals who had already won in the first raffle. He recounted presiding over a meeting where it was agreed to process the documents of approximately seven to ten individuals who had already won.
“Before then they had refunded money to all persons who had staked, every person was refunded to all the stakers including the winners. So at that meeting we agreed that for those who have won, who have had their money refunded to them, they should resubmit those moneys to Rambel as if they are still participating in the raffle so that Rambel will process their documents for them,” Adams said.
He noted, however, that most of the winners disagreed with this arrangement. “According to information submitted to us almost all of them disagreed with that arrangement. What it meant was that they agreed with the original arrangement of refunding their money to them,” he added.
Second Raffle Outcomes
Turning to the second raffle, Adams disclosed that there were approximately thirty-one winners, all of whom were processed. Of these, five successfully secured visas. “The rest were either refused—in other words denied visas—or their dates that they got were outside of the period of the World Cup,” he explained.
Alternate Arrangements for Unsuccessful Winners
For those who were refused visas or could not secure interview dates within the World Cup period, Adams outlined several alternative arrangements. The government offered opportunities to attend future competitions, with Morocco being the immediate option. However, many winners indicated that due to the short notice—having originally sought permission for the World Cup—they preferred a future opportunity rather than the immediate Morocco trip.
Subsequently, a financial reward option was presented, which some winners accepted. “As we speak, the remainder of the winners who did not get the opportunity to go for the World Cup, we are in the process of working that out and for them to get a financial reward,” Adams stated.
Funds Untouched, Allegations Dismissed
The Minister emphatically denied any mismanagement of raffle funds, stating, “Every person of the raffle that was run by—has not been touched, that money has not been touched. The fundraising committee is still holding onto those funds to make sure that everybody is appropriately compensated.”
He dismissed claims by the NPP minority in Parliament regarding foreign WhatsApp numbers as “a complete lie.” Adams asserted that the winners have leaders and have been engaged throughout the process. He confirmed that five winners successfully obtained visas, traveled to the United States of America, participated in every event, watched the games, and have all returned safely.
“Those who did not get the opportunity still have the opportunity either to attend a future competition because the record is there, or if they opt for the financial reward they will give them the financial reward,” Adams concluded, urging the public to listen to the truth rather than what he described as misinformation.
Ghanamps.com