The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has explained the sequence of engagements involving TRIBE Culture Fest, the National Sports Authority (NSA) and diplomatic missions amid the ongoing controversy surrounding World Cup-related visa arrangements.In a statement, the Ministry said engagements involving TRIBE Culture Fest and the NSA were already underway months before it became involved in forwarding a request concerning NSA volunteers and event coordinators in May 2026.The Ministry pointed to correspondence dated January 28, 2026, in which Yaw Gyamfi Kusi Awere reportedly communicated directly with email addresses associated with the United States Embassy on a matter titled NSA Staff Appointments.According to the statement, individuals associated with TRIBE were copied into the correspondence, which the Ministry says demonstrates that some engagements connected to the World Cup fan-experience arrangements predated its own involvement.The Ministry added that TRIBE Culture Fest was already operating within the broader World Cup fan-experience environment, with engagements involving diplomatic missions, the NSA, the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and other stakeholders.It stressed that the January correspondence was significant in establishing the timeline of events, as it preceded the Ministrys subsequent transmission of the May request relating to NSA volunteers and event coordinators.The Ministry is not presenting this point to defend TRIBE or the NSA. If wrongdoing occurred within those arrangements, it must be investigated, the statement said.The Ministry maintained that its clarification was not intended to exonerate any individual or organisation that may have been involved in improper conduct. Rather, it said the purpose was to establish the chronology and correct the impression that every engagement connected to the arrangements originated from the office of the Sports Minister.The controversy has drawn public attention to the processes through which individuals and organisations became involved in arrangements linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.By referencing the January correspondence, the Ministry sought to distinguish earlier engagements involving TRIBE and the NSA from its later role in forwarding the volunteers and event coordinators request.It reiterated that any allegations of wrongdoing surrounding the arrangements should be subjected to investigation, while insisting that the timeline of the engagements must be clearly established as the matter continues to attract public scrutiny.



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