Member of Parliament for Ketu North, Eric Edem Agbana, has strongly denied allegations that the government or the Ministry of Sports allocated special slots to National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament to facilitate travel to the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Speaking on Citi FM's Eyewitness News on June 10, 2026, Agbana described the claim as "a blatant falsehood" and challenged those making the allegation to provide evidence.

His comments were in response to remarks made on the floor of Parliament by Habib Iddrisu, who allegedly suggested that NDC MPs had been allocated slots by the government to send people to the World Cup.

“The Honorable Habib is in leadership, and with the greatest of respect to him, I must say that the statement he made on the floor yesterday about the Sports Ministry or government allocating slots to Members of Parliament from the NDC is not true. It's a blatant falsehood,” Agbana stated.

The Ketu North legislator explained that the government had already announced that no public funds would be used to airlift supporters to the World Cup.

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According to him, subsequent fundraising efforts involved contributions from private individuals and organisations, meaning any Ghanaian who eventually travels to the tournament under such arrangements would be doing so through private sponsorship rather than state funding.

“Government earlier announced that no public funds will be spent to airlift supporters to the World Cup. However, government engaged in a fundraising exercise and private individuals and organisations donated towards that exercise,” he said.

“What it means is that any Ghanaian that you may see at the World Cup may be part of people being sponsored privately and not from public funds,” he added.

Agbana suggested that the allegation may have been influenced by events under previous administrations, claiming that similar practices had been associated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the past.

He alleged that prior to the 2018 World Cup, officials of the then-government openly indicated that supporters of the NPP would benefit from travel opportunities linked to the tournament.

The MP also referenced campaign promises made by Pius Enam Hadzide, who reportedly pledged to help constituents travel to the World Cup if elected.

“They come from a background where they spent public funds on airlifting supporters and party apparatus to World Cups. So even when it is not happening, they are assuming that it is happening,” Agbana argued.

The Ketu North MP maintained that no member of the Majority Caucus had been allocated slots to sponsor supporters to the World Cup and urged critics to substantiate their claims.

“I can tell you emphatically that no Member of Parliament from the Majority has been allocated slots to take people to the World Cup. It is a blatant falsehood,” he stressed.

“And I pray that when you call him, you put him to strict proof because he who alleges must prove,” he added.

The debate comes amid heightened political discussion over preparations for Ghanaian supporters attending the World Cup, with questions being raised about funding sources and the selection process for beneficiaries.

Government officials have repeatedly maintained that no taxpayer funds will be used to sponsor supporters to the tournament.

VPO