Bring Passports For Brazil Tickets � Minister Tells NDC Supporters

Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Joseph Yamin, has apparently yielded to pressure being mounted on him by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) foot-soldiers who have asked him to assist them to go to Brazil to watch the World Cup. Mr. Yamin has asked them to submit their passports for the necessary processes to be undertaken to enable them to travel to Brazil. He has categorically stated that the 500 Black Stars supporters the NDC government is sending to Brazil will comprise mainly grassroots supporters of the NDC. In a populist tone, Yamin stated that even if his comment would cost him his job as the Deputy Sports Minister, he was ever ready to go. His boss, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, earlier this week disclosed that government, through sponsorship would be taking 500 supporters of the national team to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup which kicks off today, Thursday June 12. According to the Ministry, government had secured the assistance of private corporate bodies to assist in sponsoring Ghanaians to support the national team. The supporters will be airlifted from June 13, 14, and 15. However, since the announcement, with no clear-cut criteria for the selection, some NDC supporters have gone wild attacking the Minister and the government for not giving preference to the party supporters. However, speaking to the issue, as stated above, Joseph Yamin pointed out that majority of the supporters would be NDC sympathisers. He added that NDC supporters deserved to be appreciated for their immense support which helped to bring back the party into power in 2008. He further stated that when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was in power, it did a similar thing by airlifting about 250 supporters to the 2006 World Cup in Germany. �If we�re to take supporters to Brazil, I will say without a shred of doubt that majority of those supporters will be members of NDC�In 2006, about 250 supporters were sent to Germany I�m told, though I have no record to prove that�and my checks indicate that only seven NDC members were part of the team. �I will not be a hypocrite and say we�ll share it equally. They [NDC supporters] have to benefit from the party they brought to power�You can take it or leave it. We�ll give them their small number and ensure majority of the people we send are NDC supporters�. �They are the people who brought the party to power�You can say whatever you want, but NDC supporters are going to Brazil,� Yamin said.