The Ghanaian national football team has formally appealed Canada's decision to deny midfielder Thomas Partey a visa, preventing him from joining the squad for their opening World Cup fixture against Panama. The appeal was heard by a Canadian federal court on Tuesday, just a day before Ghana's scheduled match in Toronto.
Partey, who previously played for Arsenal between 2020 and 2025 and spent last season with Villarreal, is currently awaiting trial in Britain on multiple charges of rape and sexual assault. Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly criticised the visa denial, labelling it a "high-handed and extremely unfair decision."
The allegations against Partey stem from several women, with charges accumulating over time. In March, his lawyer confirmed Partey's intention to plead not guilty to two new charges of rape, reportedly related to an incident in December 2020. These new allegations surfaced after an initial set of charges, which included five counts of rape involving two other women and one count of sexual assault with another woman, were made public. Partey has consistently pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Despite the ongoing legal proceedings, Ghana's coach, Carlos Queiroz, had included Partey in the World Cup squad, citing the principle of presumption of innocence. The team's base camp for the tournament is located in Smithfield, Rhode Island, in the United States, where Partey has been permitted to train.
This means that even if the appeal against Canada's decision is unsuccessful, Partey will still be eligible to participate in Ghana's subsequent group stage matches. Ghana is set to face England in Massachusetts on 23rd June, followed by their final group fixture against Croatia in Philadelphia on 27th June.