Thomas Partey denied entry to Canada and will miss Ghana v Panama clash

Thomas Partey has been denied entry to Canada and will miss Ghana’s World Cup opener with Panama on Wednesday.

Former Arsenal midfielder Partey was called up to the Ghana squad for the 48-team tournament, but last July was charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in London between 2020 and 2022.

Partey, who now plays for Villarreal in Spain, has denied all the charges and a trial has been set for June 2027, which allowed the midfielder to represent his nation at this summer’s World Cup, but the 32-year-old will not take part in Wednesday’s fixture with Panama at BMO Field in Toronto after being denied a visa into Canada.

“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, June 17, as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government,” FIFA said in a statement released to the Press Association.

“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.”

It was confirmed last month that Partey’s trial on rape charges originally set for November at Southwark Crown Court had been pushed back to start on June 8th, 2027.

Partey has appeared previously in the dock to plead not guilty to all charges and is on bail during the legal proceedings, with a condition that he does not contact alleged victims.

The next hearing in his case has been set for October 2nd.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told PA: “Canada is proud to be a host country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is working