Thomas Partey’s appeal against being denied entry to Canada fails

Thomas Partey has lost his appeal after being denied entry into Canada.

A hearing in Ottawa on Tuesday resulted in the decision to refuse Partey access into the country, upheld by the Canadian government.

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The midfielder appeared at Southwark Crown Court in September on charges of rape and sexual assault, which he denies.

Partey was charged with two further counts of rape earlier this year and pleaded not guilty.

“Thomas Partey continues to deny all charges against him,” the 32-year-old’s defence lawyer Jenny Wiltshire said in February, with his trial due to take place in June 2027.

“He has cooperated fully with the police throughout. Given that legal proceedings are ongoing, there will be no further comment.”

Partey was named in the Ghana squad for the World Cup, with their first match coming against Panama on June 18 at 12am UK time.

However, he will not be able to play at the BMO Field in Toronto as a result of Tuesday’s decision.

FIFA statement on Partey

“FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana’s team base camp in Boston, USA, to Canada for their first match against Panama on Wednesday, 17 June, as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government,” a statement on Friday revealed.

“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.”

talkSPORT reporter Ben Jacobs last week told World Cup GameDay Drive with Rory Jennings and Darren Bent that it was unlikely that the Canadian government would change its decision.

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“The immigration process is country to country,” Jacobs said. “So Canada have denied Partey his visa, FIFA confirm that news to talkSPORT, but say they play no part in the immigration process and in addition, anything visa-related, including challenging a denied VISA, is out of their remit, and it’s not thought that there’s any form of appeal or expedited case that is going to change this.”

“It’s in light of the fact that Thomas Partey has been charged with five counts of rape last year and one charge of sexual assault, and then in February of this year, a further two counts of rape.

“So eight charges in total, of which seven of them are rape. Partey has pleaded not guilty to all of them and is still awaiting trial.

“Now what’s interesting is the rules around immigration state that there is grounds to deny somebody entry if they are charged of a criminal offense and that is the case with Partey, and yet he’s still awaiting trial, and as a consequence, Partey was under the impression, as were Ghana speaking to sources, that the paperwork would allow him to play at this World Cup in full.

“And yet Canada have decided they’ve got dispensation to deny Partey entry.

“We’ve approached those in America in immigration departments to find out whether or not Partey might not be able to play in the other two games.

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“At the moment, those within the Ghana camp say Partey has the paperwork to enter and play in America, and it’s not expected to be removed. But of course, from Canada’s perspective, it’s a different set of rules and a totally different adjudication process.”

Both of Ghana’s other Group L fixtures against England and Croatia take place in the United States, where the ex-Arsenal player has already been given entry.

Ghana are based at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, for the World Cup.

The Football Association are reportedly considering their stance over England’s pre-match handshake with Partey on June 23.

They have planned to discuss how the Three Lions players will deal with the handshakes, which are traditional before matches.

Partey spent five seasons at Arsenal, where he was teammates with England duo Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.

The match will be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, with kick-off scheduled for 9pm UK time.

Ghana then face Croatia at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 27 at 10pm UK time.