Thomas Partey will miss Ghana World Cup’s opening match in Toronto after his Federal Court appeal to overturn Canada’s entry denial was dismissed on Tuesday. The ruling came less than 48 hours before Ghana’s first match against Panama, leaving the squad without its assistant captain for the tournament opener.
Roger Lafrenière Rules on Partey
Federal Court Justice Roger Lafrenière dismissed Partey’s motion, writing: “Given the explicit nature of the allegations in the indictment, it was open to the (Immigration) Officer to conclude that (Partey) committed serious acts of sexual violence that render him inadmissible to Canada.” The Canadian government denied him entry because of multiple charges of rape and sexual assault he faces in the U.K.
London police have charged him with seven counts of rape. He is accused of vaginally and anally raping two women between 2020 and 2022, and he faces one additional charge of sexually assaulting a third woman in February 2022. His trial is set for June 2027, and he has pleaded not guilty.
Mackeda Bramwell on Ghana’s Appeal
Partey’s lawyer, Mackeda Bramwell, said: “This is one of (Ghana’s) star players,” and added, “He’s a vice captain for the team, and so the support to have him enter Canada for the specific purpose of playing in the match is what they’re seeking.” The court documents said the “reputational and practical consequences (Partey) currently faces flow primarily from the fact that he has been charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault in the UK, not from Canada’s application of its immigration laws.”
Canada law allows a foreign national to be denied entry if facing serious charges in another jurisdiction that are deemed to carry a sentence of at least 10 years in prison in Canada. Partey has received a visa to enter the United States, where Ghana’s other two World Cup games will be played, and Ghana is currently training in the United States.
Toronto Loss for Ghana
The immediate effect is simple: Ghana opens without one of its most experienced squad members, and the decision lands just before a match that had already become tightly timed around travel and eligibility. That leaves the team to manage its first World Cup game in Toronto without the player it sought to bring in specifically for that fixture.
