The 33-year-old midfielder faces allegations from several women dating back to his time playing for English club Arsenal between 2020 and 2025
Published: June 17, 2026, 12:08 AM IST
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FIFA World Cup 2026: Ghana appeals Canada’s visa refusal for Thomas Partey ahead of tournament opener against Panama
Ghana officials on Tuesday appealed Canada’s decision to deny midfielder Thomas Partey entry into the country for the team’s opening World Cup match, while he awaits trial on rape charges.
A Canadian federal court heard the emergency appeal on Tuesday, just one day before Ghana faces Panama in Toronto. Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly criticized the visa denial, calling it a “high-handed and extremely unfair decision.”
The 33-year-old midfielder faces allegations from several women dating back to his time playing for English club Arsenal between 2020 and 2025. Partey, who spent this past season playing in Spain for Villarreal, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In March, Partey’s lawyer stated that the player intends to plead not guilty to two new charges of rape, after a woman alleged he raped her twice on the same day in December 2020.
Before these new allegations surfaced, Partey was already awaiting trial on five counts of rape involving two other women, and one count of sexual assault involving another woman. These new accusations came to light after the initial charges became public.
Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz defended his decision to include the midfielder in his World Cup squad, pointing to the presumption of innocence.
Ghana’s training base camp for the tournament is located in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Even if the court rejects Tuesday’s appeal and forces Partey to miss the opening game against Panama, he will still be eligible to play in Ghana’s second match on June 23, when they face England in Massachusetts. Ghana will then conclude their group-stage matches against Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27.
