Thomas Partey loses appeal after being denied entry into Canada ahead of Ghana's World Cup opener
Thomas Partey has lost his appeal after being denied entry into Canada, and won’t be playing in Ghana’s World Cup opener against Panama.
Partney, 33, had his initial visa into Canada blocked, preventing him from playing in Toronto on 18 June.
The former Arsenal midfielder was denied entry into Canada due to ongoing legal proceedings in the UK.
He was called up to the Ghana squad, but last July was charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in London between 2020 and 2022.
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Partney, who now plays for Villarreal in Spain, has denied all the charges and a trial has been set for June 2027, which allowed the midfielder to represent his nation at this summer’s World Cup.
After his visa was blocked, Ghanaian officials launched an appeal, calling for a review of the case, calling it ‘high-handed and extremely unfair’.
In a statement, Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited the ‘fundamental legal principle of the presumption of innocence, a cornerstone of justice and the process in democratic societies’.
However, Federal Court judge, Justice Roger Lafreniere, denied the emergency injunction application at a hearing in court in Ottawa today.
Canada's immigration officials said that in Canada, foreign nationals can be found inadmissible without a foreign conviction.
"When there are reasonable grounds to believe an act that would trigger inadmissibility has been committed by an applicant, they can be deemed inadmissible to Canada," a spokesperson for Canada's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told Reuters.
The decision of the court was announced a couple of hours after Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz said he was still yet to make a decision on the starting line up.
“Nothing is perfect in life but we have tried to make the best of the opportunities we’ve had,” he said.
“There is nothing to say about Thomas.
“We want to be able to count on all 26 players and then we will make a decision about the starting line up.
“I do not want to make a particular comment about his situation.”
In an earlier statement, FIFA said: FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana’s team base camp in Boston, USA, to Canada for their first match against Panama on Wednesday, 17 June, as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government.
"FIFA is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas.
"As with previous FIFA events, the host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country."
Although he was denied a visa for Canada, Partey was granted a US visa, meaning he's set to face England in a World Cup Group L fixture, which will take place in Boston on June 23.
Topics: World Cup
Claire Reid