PRESIDENT John Dramani Mahama has cautioned supporters who intend to travel to the United States of America (USA) to support the Black Stars at the FIFA World Cup to respect immigration laws and return home after the tournament.
He noted that the government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had worked to renew visa privileges, adding that failure to return home after the tournament could jeopardise the effort of the government.
President Mahama gave the caution while delivering his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament on Friday as he raised concerns of similar incidents in the past.
“Supporters who fail to return, and push us back onto the travel ban list,” President Mahama added.
The SONA is a constitutional requirement under Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution which mandates the President to deliver a message on the state of the nation to Parliament.
According to the president, it was important to observe and respect immigration protocols which requires that fans, after the tournament, should return home and not do otherwise.
“Supporters and other people interested in going to support the Black Stars would have to submit visa request to the American Embassy. We are being told that we must ensure that supporters that attend the tournament return. It has taken a lot of work to restore Ghana’s five-year non-immigrant visas and take us off the ban list,” President Mahama said.
“I hope the World Cup does not see thousands of Ghanaians travel to America, refuse to return, and push us back onto the travel ban list,” he added.
The Black Stars would be making their fifth appearance at the global football tournament this year to be hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
Ghana would engage England, Croatia and Panama at the group stage of the expanded championship and aims to become the second from the African continent to reach the semi-finals, after reaching the quarterfinals stage at the 2010 edition in South Africa where the team lost to Uruguay on penalties.
President Mahama further wished the various national teams that would be competing at various tournaments, including the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Youth Olympic Games, and the Commonwealth Games, the best of luck.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON TETTEY
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