The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has explicitly ruled out the utilisation of public funds to facilitate the travel of football fans to the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The sector ministry clarified that both President John Dramani Mahama and sports authorities have maintained a consistent position against committing tax revenues to fan mobilisation for foreign tournaments, pushing back against claims that the state was underwriting the bills of travelling supporters.

In an official statement signed and released by the Head of PR & Communications, Bagbara Tanko, on June 18, the Ministry strongly rebuked alternative reports circulating in the media, officially categorising them as a "deliberate distortion of information".

Defending its firm fiscal stance, the Ministry noted that the staggering logistics of international tournament travel present an unjustifiable burden on the public purse under current economic conditions.

With estimated costs climbing up to $11,000 per individual supporter to cover flights, accommodation, feeding, and match tickets across the vast tournament venues in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the state has prioritised redirecting scarce public resources into domestic economic development and tangible sports infrastructure.

Crucially, the Ministry emphasised that its current operational stance is legally anchored in historical governance frameworks.

The decision strictly aligns with the core recommendations of the landmark Justice Dzamefe Committee Report and its accompanying Government White Paper, which explicitly forbid the state from allocating public funds to mobilise and fly supporters abroad for national team assignments.

In place of state financing, and in strict compliance with presidential directives, the government has pivoted to a purely corporate-driven funding architecture. A high-profile fundraising dinner hosted at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra was successfully executed to rally corporate Ghana.

The campaign aimed to generate approximately $30 million from private entities to support the broader operational demands of Ghana's World Cup campaign.

The Sector Minister, Kofi Iddie Adams, reassured the public that any surplus funds realised from the corporate appeal after accounting for essential tournament expenses will be strictly ring-fenced and dedicated entirely to developing grassroots sports infrastructure across the country.

The Ministry concluded by stressing that the policy is by no means an attempt to discourage passionate fans from travelling to North America to support the Black Stars.

"Let it be understood that the government's position is not to prevent supporters from attending the World Cup, but to do so responsibly and transparently without using public funds."

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Government Says It Will Not Use Tax Money to Send Fans to World Cup

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