Read 3 minutes13 Jun 2026 07:11 PM IST
For review, the Ghanaian government has called Canada’s decision to deny midfielder Thomas Partey a visa “high-handed and grossly unfair”. The former Arsenal player will be missed by his country FIFA World Cup 2026 Opener against Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
In a strongly worded statement, the West African country’s foreign ministry said it understood the decision was based on pending criminal proceedings in Britain. The 32-year-old Partey, who currently plays for Villarreal, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of raping and sexually assaulting four women between 2020 and 2022.
Partey, who is due to stand trial next year, is in Boston with the rest of the Ghanaian team. He could play in the next Group L matches against England in Foxborough and Philadelphia against Croatia.
Ghana’s foreign ministry said it had issued an official note of protest, requesting that Canada review its decision. “The Government of the Republic of Ghana expresses strong reservations following the high-handed and highly inappropriate decision taken by Canada,” the statement said.
“While respecting Canada’s sovereign right to enforce immigration laws, Ghana considers that reliance on unsubstantiated charges in the absence of a judicial determination raises fundamental questions of fairness and proportionality.”
Reuters quoted a spokeswoman for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada as saying that the country’s ongoing program does not change immigration laws. “Each person seeking to enter Canada is assessed individually based on the available facts and applicable law,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, world football governing body FIFA said it was not involved in the host nations’ immigration process.
Story continues below this ad
The party case is the latest immigration-related controversy at the World Cup, which is co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico. The USA had previously denied entry to Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was officiating at the tournament. An official of the President of the United States Donald TrumpThe administration said the country’s authorities had discovered “links with suspected members of terrorist organizations”.
After returning to Somalia, Artan described the visa decision as a matter of “fate” and urged fellow Somalis not to be complacent about it.