Ghana’s men’s national football team, the Black Stars, will be without midfielder Thomas Partey for their first World Cup match in Toronto against Panama on Thursday, June 18, after he was denied entry to Canada.
In a statement on Friday, FIFA confirmed that the former Arsenal player, who is now with Spanish club Villarreal, will be unable to travel from Ghana’s training base in Boston after his visa application was refused by the Canadian government.
The former Arsenal midfielder still has pending rape charges in England, to which he has pleaded not guilty. He faces seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to allegations made by four different women between 2020 and 2022, during his time in London, and is due to stand trial next year.
On Wednesday, ahead of the opening match on Thursday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said during a press conference in Mexico City that football’s governing body has no control over who is allowed into a host country.
“FIFA is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas. The host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country,” Infantino said.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada, has become increasingly controversial, with certain countries facing difficulties in securing full participation. From a pundit’s point of view, it serves no purpose if a national team cannot field its best players because of pending legal cases abroad. Partey, a senior member of the Black Stars, is presumed innocent until proven guilty.