Ghana's star midfielder Thomas Partey has just dodged a major bullet – or rather, a trip to Canada turned out to be his own personal 'away' game. The 33-year-old was set to face England in their World Cup showdown on Tuesday, and it seems he'll have the last laugh after being cleared for action despite some serious scrutiny off the pitch.
Partey is currently facing a mountain of allegations – seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, all stemming from incidents involving four different women between 2020 and 2022. He's pleaded not guilty to everything and will have his day in court next year, but for now, he's just focused on getting back out onto the pitch. The Ghanaian was refused entry into Canada after claiming on official forms that he'd never been arrested or charged with a crime – talk about a dodgy move!
The US customs and border protection (CBP) got wind of Partey's pending court case, but it seems they were happy to let him in, visa in hand. As long as you haven't got a conviction on your record, you're golden, right? And since Partey's never been found guilty, he gets the green light – and with it, a chance to prove himself against one of the world's top teams.
Partey's all set for the match in Boston, and Ghana's head coach Carlos Queiroz is as confident as ever. "This is the easiest type of match," he declared, and you can bet his players will be feeling the same way when they take on England. Everyone's fully focused and ready to roll – bring it on!