Ghana has formally protested Canada’s decision to deny a World Cup visa to midfielder Thomas Partey, who is facing rape charges in Britain and is due to stand trial next year.
Foreign Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, in a statement on Saturday, described the move as “high-handed and extremely unfair,” saying Partey remains “a key member of Ghana’s senior national team.”
According to the minister, Ghana has sent an official diplomatic protest to Canada and asked authorities to reconsider what it called an unfortunate decision.
Partey, now with Villarreal after leaving Arsenal, has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault linked to allegations made by four women between 2020 and 2022.
Although his trial is scheduled for next year, allowing him to remain available for national team duty, he will miss Ghana’s opening World Cup fixture in Toronto on Wednesday.
The statement said, “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.”
FIFA has confirmed that Partey cannot travel from Ghana’s team base in Boston for the June 17 clash against Panama, but the 32-year-old remains eligible for the team’s Group L matches against England and Croatia in the United States.
