ไทย
English
中國人
Thomas Partey has been denied entry into Canada, ruling him out of Ghana's opening World Cup fixture against Panama in Toronto.
The two sides are scheduled to face off at BMO Field on June 17, the same day Group L counterparts England and Croatia square off in Texas, with the winner targeting a spot in the newly introduced Round of 32—a stage born out of the tournament's expansion to 48 teams.
Partey had been set to feature in Ghana's midfield, but the former Arsenal man will now miss the match entirely. The 32-year-old, who made the move to Villarreal in the summer of 2025 following the expiration of his Emirates Stadium deal, was arrested and charged by the Metropolitan Police with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in July 2025. He was subsequently charged with two additional counts of rape in February—charges to which he pleaded not guilty in April, having already denied the earlier allegations.
A statement from FIFA, issued to The Athletic, read: "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.
'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."
Canadian immigration policy states that individuals who have "committed or been convicted of a crime, may not be allowed" into the country—though as of this writing, no formal government explanation for the refusal of Partey's entry has been made public.
SI answers is our AI answer engine trained on human-created content.
Partey is scheduled to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court in London later this year on charges stemming from alleged incidents in 2021 and 2022. The central midfielder continued to represent Arsenal while under investigation, though the most recent allegations only emerged after he had completed his move to Spain on a two-year deal.