World Cup: Ghana protest Canada’s visa ban on Thomas Partey ahead of Panama clash

A diplomatic row has overshadowed Ghana’s World Cup preparations after the government formally protested Canada’s refusal to grant a visa to midfielder Thomas Partey ahead of the Black Stars’ opening match.

With Ghana set to begin their Group L campaign against Panama in Toronto on 17 June, the absence of one of the team’s most experienced players has become a major talking point just days before kick-off.

On Saturday, Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, confirmed that the government had lodged an official protest with Canadian authorities over the refusal of Partey’s visa application.

In a strongly worded statement, Mr Ablakwa described the move as “high-handed” and “extremely unfair.” It stressed that the former Arsenal midfielder remains a key member of Ghana’s national team.

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“Ghana has dispatched an official note of protest,” the minister said.

The statement added that Ghana had requested Canadian authorities to reconsider what it described as an “unfortunate decision.”

The visa issue stems from the ongoing legal proceedings involving the 32-year-old midfielder in the United Kingdom.

Partey, who now plays for Spanish club Villarreal after leaving Arsenal, has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to allegations made by four different women between 2020 and 2022.

Although a trial has been scheduled for next year, meaning there has been no judicial determination of the case, Canada opted not to grant the midfielder entry for the Toronto fixture.

As a result, FIFA has confirmed that Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana’s World Cup base camp in Boston to Canada for the opening game against Panama.

While acknowledging Canada’s right to enforce its immigration laws, Ghana’s government argued that denying entry based on allegations that have yet to be tested in court raises broader concerns about fairness and due process.

“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,” the statement read.

The development has created an unusual off-field challenge for the Black Stars at a crucial stage of the competition, with Partey’s experience and leadership expected to be key to Ghana’s campaign.

Despite missing the encounter against Panama, Partey’s World Cup involvement is not necessarily over.

Because Ghana’s remaining Group L fixtures will be played in the United States, the midfielder remains eligible for selection against England and Croatia.

Those matches will take place on American soil, where the visa restrictions that prevent him from entering Canada do not apply.

For now, however, Ghana’s focus remains divided between preparing for their tournament opener and pursuing a diplomatic solution that could yet alter the situation.

As the Black Stars prepare to take the field in Toronto, one of their most experienced players will be watching from afar, at the centre of a controversy that has already become one of the early off-field stories of World Cup 2026.

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