Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey is set to miss his country's opening World Cup match against Panama in Toronto on Wednesday after being denied entry to Canada. The decision, stemming from an unresolved legal situation in the UK, has drawn strong condemnation from Ghanaian officials, who are actively pursuing diplomatic channels for a review.
Partey, a former Arsenal player now with a Spanish club, has been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by London's Metropolitan Police. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is currently awaiting trial. Despite being granted a US visa, allowing him to remain at Ghana's base camp in Boston, FIFA confirmed on Friday that he would be unable to travel to Canada.
Kofi Adams, Ghana's sports minister, expressed his outrage on Friday, telling local station Channel One TV that the grounds for Partey's visa rejection were "flimsy" and "absolutely wrong." Adams highlighted that Partey is living freely in the UK, where the alleged offences occurred, and is able to continue his professional career. He questioned why Canada would apply such stringent rules based solely on a charge, rather than a conviction, stating, "I don't understand why today Canada is interpreting their rules to suggest that a charge means guilty."
Canada's government website indicates that visitors may be denied entry if they have "committed or been convicted of a crime." However, Partey has not been convicted. In response, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada issued a statement affirming that "Canada has been consistent that hosting major events does not change Canada’s immigration laws," and that "every person seeking to come to Canada is assessed individually, based on the facts available and the law that applies." FIFA also clarified that it is not involved in host countries' immigration processes.
The Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Saturday, escalating the diplomatic pressure. The ministry criticised the decision as "high-handed and extremely unfair," arguing that relying on unproven charges in the absence of a judicial determination raises "fundamental questions of fairness and proportionality." The statement added that Ghana is engaged in "active diplomatic engagements with the relevant Canadian authorities" and urged Canada to rescind its decision, citing "significant national and global sporting considerations" and "cardinal principles of common law."