Thomas Partey, who falsely told the Canadian authorities that he had never been jailed or charged with a crime, will miss Ghana’s World Cup opening match against Panama.
Partey, 33, was refused entrance into Canada prior to Wednesday’s game in Toronto due to current legal processes in the United Kingdom.
A federal court in Ottawa denied the Ghanaian government’s request for authorisation to allow him to temporarily enter the nation in order to participate in the game.
There was “no serious issue in the underlying refusal” of the visa, according to the appeal order, and “the applicant failed to disclose that he is the subject of multiple criminal charges for sexual violence in the UK.”
Partey, a former Arsenal player, is scheduled to go on trial next year after entering a not guilty plea to seven accusations of rape and one count of sexual assault pertaining to allegations made by four different women between 2020 and 2022.
“Canada has been consistent that hosting major events does not change Canada’s immigration laws,” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told the BBC. “Every person seeking to come to Canada is assessed individually, based on the facts available and the law that applies.”
Partey, who currently plays for Villarreal in Spain, made his debut for Ghana in June 2016 and has since made over 50 appearances.
Carlos Queiroz, the head coach, stated before to the competition that he had no reservations about choosing Partey.
“My business is to play with the cards that I have in front of me,” he responded when questioned about the matter once more on Tuesday.
“We are waiting for a decision. When the decision [arrives], we are ready.”
Ghana will play Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27 and England in Boston on June 23. If they place second in Group L, they might make it back to Canada in the round of 32.
Source: newsthemegh.com