Ghana have criticised Canada’s ‘extremely unfair decision’ to deny Thomas Partey entry into their country for the 2026 World Cup.
Partey, who left Arsenal last summer as a free agent and joined Spanish side Villarreal, arrived in the United States this week as Ghana ramped up preparations for their World Cup campaign at their training base in Boston.
The Black Stars play their first group-stage game in Toronto against Panama, but Partey looks set to miss the match after being denied a Canadian visa.
Last July, London’s Metropolitan Police charged Partey with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. In February, the 32-year-old was charged with two additional counts of rape.
It’s finally here
Get everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day. Sign up here.
Partey is awaiting trial and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Fifa confirmed on Friday that Partey has been granted a US visa, but will be unable to travel to Toronto and will remain at Ghana’s base camp in Boston.
But the decision has been heavily criticised by Ghana’s government, which Canada to reverse their decision ‘in the interest of fairness and cardinal principles of common law’.
‘The Government of the Republic of Ghana expresses strong reservations following the high-handed and extremely unfair decision by Canada to refuse a temporary residence application for Mr. Thomas Teye Partey, a Ghanaian national and key member of Ghana’s senior national football team, the Black Stars, which is participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup,’the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
‘We are informed that the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) arrived at this outcome on grounds of inadmissibility under paragraph A36(1)(c) of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
‘The decision is understood to be based on pending criminal proceedings in the United Kingdom that have not resulted in any conviction or judicial finding of guilt.
‘The Government of Ghana reaffirms the fundamental legal principle of the presumption of innocence, a cornerstone of justice and due process in democratic societies.
‘While respecting Canada’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws, Ghana considers that reliance on unproven charges in the absence of a judicial determination raises fundamental questions of fairness and proportionality.
‘Accordingly, Ghana is pursuing active diplomatic engagements with the relevant Canadian authorities on this matter.’
The government added it has already held talks with Canadian officials over the ban and might even consider seeking a judicial review before the Federal Court of Canada to reverse the ban.
Ghana are also due to play England in Boston on June 23 before their final World Cup group game against Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27.
Speaking before the tournament, head coach Carlos Queiroz insisted he had no qualms over selecting Partey.
‘If the player is here with me, my answer is clear,’ said Queiroz. ‘I don’t have any comments about my own decisions. He is here so what are we talking about?
‘This is not for me or you to make a judgement about. Let the events run their normal course; let the river flow and one day when the river meets the ocean we are going to find the truth.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.