Ghana demands Canada review Thomas Partey visa ban
Ghana's government calls on Canada to reconsider its decision to bar Thomas Partey from entering the country, citing the presumption of innocence. Partey will miss Ghana's World Cup opener.
The Ghanaian government has formally requested Canada to review what it calls a “high-handed and extremely unfair” decision to deny midfielder Thomas Partey entry into the country. The former Arsenal player, who recently joined Villarreal, was forced to sit out Ghana's first World Cup match against Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Partey, 32, has pleaded not guilty to seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault involving four women between 2020 and 2022. He is due to stand trial next year.
In a statement, the Ghana government said it is “pursuing active diplomatic engagements” with Canadian officials in hopes of reversing the ban. “The decision is understood to be based on pending criminal proceedings in the United Kingdom that have not resulted in any conviction,” the statement read. “The government of Ghana reaffirms the fundamental legal principle of the presumption of innocence, a cornerstone of justice.”
Canadian immigration rules state that individuals who have committed or been convicted of a crime may be denied entry. However, Ghana argues that Partey has not been convicted. Meanwhile, a US Customs and Border Protection official confirmed that Partey was admitted to the United States after being issued a visa, as he has not been convicted of a crime.
Partey remains at Ghana's training base in Boston. He could feature in matches against England on June 23 and Croatia on June 27. Should Ghana finish as runners-up in Group L, they could return to Canada for the knockout stage.
