Thomas Partey's Canadian dream has been left in tatters after a judge rejected his emergency appeal to enter the country. The Arsenal midfielder, who is currently facing seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in the UK, will now miss Ghana's opening World Cup match against Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
The Ghanaian international's application for entry was met with fierce resistance from Canadian immigration officials, who highlighted that Partey had failed to declare his criminal charges on his initial application. Court documents revealed a claim from Partey that he had not been charged with any offences – a statement that now looks increasingly hollow in the face of these serious allegations.
Justice Roger Lafrenière's verdict was a stern rebuke to Partey's request, which would have seen him granted entry into Canada despite his pending charges. The judge's ruling stated that granting relief would have undermined the standard immigration process and 'lawfully rendered inadmissibility finding and facilitate his entry for a specific event'. It's a crushing blow to Partey's hopes of playing in front of a packed crowd in Toronto.
But despite this setback, Partey remains hopeful that he will be able to make an impact on the tournament. In a statement submitted to the court, he pledged to remain under team supervision and depart Canada as scheduled if allowed entry – a claim that now seems unlikely. The midfielder also argued that his absence would 'materially affect' Ghana's performance, but it remains to be seen whether he can make good on this promise.
Partey has been granted permission to enter the United States for Ghana's training camp and subsequent World Cup fixtures – a small consolation for the player who had been banking on making his mark in Toronto. With matches against England and Croatia still to come, Partey will have to wait and see if he can salvage something from this disappointing start.