Wonder Mandel has revealed that Yaw Kusi Awere was not a staff member of the National Sports Authority (NSA) when he exchanged correspondence with embassies in connection with Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup visa facilitation arrangements.

According to Mandel, Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams sought clarification from the then NSA Director-General, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, after the US Embassy submitted a list of six individuals to the Ministry.

Mandel explained that the Minister requested details of the individuals, including their dates of employment, staff and payroll numbers, positions, salary levels, and whether they were working on any specific NSA project.

He said the then Director-General responded that the six individuals were not regular NSA staff, prompting the Minister to communicate the clarification to the relevant authorities.

Mandel noted that the Minister was not simply accepting representations made in the name of the NSA but was taking steps to verify the identities and employment status of the individuals involved.

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He further disclosed that Ampofo Ankrah informed the Minister in a WhatsApp message that he did not know the individuals whose names had been submitted by the US Embassy.

According to Mandel, the Minister subsequently informed the Embassy that the six individuals were not NSA staff members.

He also questioned the authority of Yaw Kusi Awere, who was identified as having signed correspondence related to the matter, insisting that Awere was not employed by the NSA at the time.

Mandel further linked the issue to directives issued on February 23 regarding the revocation of appointments described as irregular, claiming that Awere was among those affected.

World Cup visa scandal: Wonder Mandel reveals that Yaw Kusi Awere was not an NSA staff member when he exchanged emails with the embassies, following Kofi Adams’ confirmation that the US Embassy had submitted a list to the ministry.

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