Ghana official releases statement after Thomas Partey denied entry to Canada for World Cup | OneFootball

Ghana sports minister Kofi Adams has derided the “flimsy” grounds on which Thomas Partey has been denied entry to Canada for the 2026 World Cup and has urged a review of the decision.

The ex-Arsenal midfielder will, as it stands, miss Ghana’s World Cup opener on Wednesday against Panama in Toronto after being denied a Canadian visa.

The 33-year-old has been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by London’s Metropolitan Police and is awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Fifa confirmed on Friday that Partey, who has been granted a US visa, will be unable to travel to Toronto and will remain at Ghana’s base camp in Boston – but Adams insists the government have requested a “review” of the decision.

"If any Ghanaian is touched anywhere, we will not keep quiet over it," Adams told local station Channel One TV on Friday.

"Through the appropriate channels, we have communicated to the rightful authorities and are requesting for them to use all processes to review and give opportunity for a review of such a decision that we think frowns on international laws and conventions, which both Ghana and Canada are party to.”

Adams added that the grounds for Partey’s visa rejection are “fimsy” – insisting the decision is “absolutely wrong.”

"We think it's appropriate to get the appropriate authorities to review this decision," he said. "We've taken it to that level, and we hope and pray that they do what they must do.

"Thomas was one of the players who was asked to go to the [London] embassy for his biometrics, and then yesterday morning we got the decision that he has been denied entry to Canada on very flimsy grounds. I say flimsy because the person has already been charged, he has not been found guilty.

"Even in the country where they claim he committed the act, for which reason he is in court, which he has denied, he is still living there, as a free citizen, walking about freely and doing anything every free citizen should do.

"He's plying his trade, so one is therefore surprised that Canada -- which is so far away -- will now apply rules to the extent where somebody has merely been charged.

"This is absolutely wrong. I don't understand why today Canada is interpreting their rules to suggest that a charge means guilty."

open image in gallery

Partey, 33, will remain at Ghana's base camp in Boston (Getty)

Canada’s government website suggests visitors may be denied entry to the country if they have “committed or been convicted of a crime”, although Partey has not been convicted of any crime.

In a statement, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said: “Canada is proud to be a host country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is working to facilitate a successful event while maintaining the safety and security of Canadians. Canada has been consistent that hosting major events does not change Canada’s immigration laws.

“Every person seeking to come to Canada is assessed individually, based on the facts available and the law that applies.”

Fifa added in a statement: “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.”

On Saturday, the Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement, criticising the decision as “high-handed and extremely unfair.”

It added: “While respecting Canada’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws, Ghana considers that reliance on unproven charges in the absence of a judicial determination raises fundamental questions of fairness and proportionality.

“Accordingly, Ghana is pursuing active diplomatic engagements with the relevant Canadian authorities on this matter....

“Government further notes Mr Partey’s selection for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the significant national and global sporting considerations at stake, and therefore urges Canada to rescind its decision in the interest of fairness and cardinal principles of common law.”

Partey, who plays for Spanish club Villarreal, was granted a US visa before the tournament and will be eligible to play against England in Boston on 23 June, as well as Ghana’s final group game against Croatia in Philadelphia on 27 June.

The allegations against Partey relate to four different women. The trial was set for November but Judge Tony Baumgartner, the Recorder of Westminster, warned Partey and lawyers in the case that the trial could now be delayed until January next year.

The Ghanaian midfielder, who previously lived in Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 in a transfer worth around £45m, before he left the club in June last year.

Partey is on bail during the legal proceedings, with a condition that he does not contact alleged victims and that he must tell the court if he plans on travelling abroad.