Ghanaians visiting Brazil for the World Cup seek asylum

Hundreds of Ghanaians who entered Brazil as tourists for the World Cup have asked for asylum on religious grounds, Brazilian police have said.

Noerci da Silva Melo, a federal police officer in the southern city of Caxias do Sul, said Friday that 200 Ghanaians had asked for asylum after entering Brazil legally to watch their team play in Natal, Fortaleza and Brasília.

Melo said the Ghanaians were Muslims who were "fleeing the violent conflicts between different Muslim groups." 

Ghanaian officials countered the allegations and said the group has no legitimate claim to asylum.

"The basis for the alleged request for the asylum is completely untrue," Deputy Information Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu told Ghana's independent Citi FM radio station. "You and I know that there is no known religious conflict raging in this country at the moment."

Ghana has been one of the most stable countries in West Africa for more than two decades and is not known to have any significant religious violence.

Ofosu added that Ghanaian diplomats in Brazil have been instructed to work with local authorities to investigate the situation but warned it would be "surprising and unfortunate" should anyone conclude that the asylum claim has merit.

Vanessa Perini Moojen, of the Roman Catholic Church's Migrant Support Center, which provided temporary shelter for the Ghanaians at Caxias do Sul’s seminary and helped them prepare their asylum requests, said the Ghanaians "faced life-threatening situations back home" and "feel they can find work and better living conditions in Brazil."

Some, and possibly all, members of the group traveled to Brazil as part of the government delegation to the World Cup, officials said.

The refugee request is the latest off-the pitch scandal surrounding Ghana's disastrous 2014 World Cup.

Players demanded that more than $3 million in bonuses be flown to them in Brazil, a difficult public expenditure for Ghana's cash-strapped government.

The Ghana Football Association kicked key players midfielder Sulley Muntari and striker Kevin-Prince Boateng out of the squad before their final match. The GFA alleged that Muntari assaulted a staff member and Boateng insulted coach Kwesi Appiah.

The team's preparations were also tainted by allegations that a Ghana Football Association official had agreed for the national team to play in a game organized by match fixers.

Ghana finished last in its group, losing to the U.S. and Portugal, and drawing with Germany.

Wire services