Ghana Urges Canada to Reverse Thomas Partey World Cup Visa Ban

Ghana's government has formally asked Canada to reconsider its decision to deny Thomas Partey entry to the country ahead of the Black Stars' opening World Cup game against Panama on Wednesday.

The Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Saturday describing the decision as "high-handed and extremely unfair," and said the country is pursuing diplomatic channels to push for a reversal.

Partey, 33, is currently at Ghana's training base in Boston after Canada refused him a visa on Friday. The Villarreal midfielder faces seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault br
ought by London's Metropolitan Police. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is awaiting trial. He has not been convicted of any crime.

Ghana's government said it respects Canada's right to enforce its own immigration laws but argued that refusing entry based on unproven charges, without any court ruling, raises serious questions of fairness. The ministry urged Canada to reverse the decision "in the interest of fairness and cardinal principles of common law."

Sports Minister Kofi Adams went further, saying Canada was effectively treating a charge as a conviction. He pointed out that Partey continues to live and work freely in England, the country where the alleged offences took place, and questioned why Canada was applying a stricter standard from thousands of miles away.

Canada's immigration authorities defended the decision, saying every applicant is assessed individually based on available facts and applicable law. FIFA also backed Canada's right to make its own visa decisions.

Partey can still feature in Ghana's remaining group games against England in Boston on June 23 and Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27. However, if Ghana finish second in Group L, they would need to return to Canada for a last-32 fixture in Toronto on July 2.