Ghana vow to fight Canada's 'flimsy' Thomas Partey visa decision - ESPN

Ghana will urge Canada to review its decision to deny Thomas Partey entry to the country after he was refused the right to enter Canadian soil Friday.

Ghana will face Panama in their World Cup opener Wednesday.

Partey, who remains at the team's base camp in Boston, is set to stand trial after being charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by London's Metropolitan Police. On these grounds, Canada denied him entry to the territory ahead of Ghana's tournament opener, but it's a decision the Ghanaian government is not planning to accept. Partey has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

«If any Ghanaian is touched anywhere, we will not keep quiet over it,» Sports Minister Kofi Adams told local station Channel One TV on Friday. «Through the appropriate channels, we have communicated to the rightful authorities and are requesting for them to use all processes to review and give opportunity for a review of such a decision that we think frowns on international laws and conventions, which both Ghana and Canada are party to.

»We think it's appropriate to get the appropriate authorities to review this decision," he added. «We've taken it to that level, and we hope and pray that they do what they must do.»

A media spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, speaking on behalf of the office's minister, Lena Diab, issued a statement to ESPN, explaining that the visa denial was justified because the country is consistent in «assessing [every person seeking to come to Canada] individually, based on facts available and the law that applies.»

It's a decision that has been defended by FIFA, which has reaffirmed Canada's right to determine who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.

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