The GFA failed Thomas Partey and the Country
Thomas Partey will miss Ghana’s World Cup opener against Panama at BMO Field on Wednesday because the Ghana Football Association’s original visa filing did not include required documentation about his pending UK criminal case, an omission that triggered the misrepresentation concern that ultimately sank his bid to enter Canada, according to a letter from the federation and a federal court ruling handed down this week.
The Villarreal midfielder is facing seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in the United Kingdom, brought by London’s Metropolitan Police over alleged incidents between 2020 and 2022. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is set to stand trial in 2027.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) wrote to Partey on May 25, raising concerns that his application had not met the requirement to “answer truthfully” and warning that he could be ruled inadmissible for misrepresentation. The GFA’s reply, dated May 27 and addressed to the Canadian consular officer in Accra, was signed by General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo. It said the federation was forwarding the documents Canadian officials had requested and apologized “for not including these documents during the initial application process”, an acknowledgment, in the federation’s own words, that the original filing had been incomplete.
A federal court in Ottawa dismissed Partey’s appeal of the resulting visa denial this week. The court found that neither his response to the IRCC’s letter nor his affidavit explained why the documentation had been missing from the original application, and ruled the immigration officer had not erred in law by basing the refusal on an unproven charge. By the time the GFA moved to supply the missing paperwork, two days after Canada’s warning, the misrepresentation finding was already taking shape, and no explanation for the gap has been entered into the record since.
The lapse came as Ghana’s footballing authorities confirmed a $100,000 appearance fee for every player in the World Cup squad, including Partey, a figure unchanged from the 2014 and 2022 tournaments. The sum underscores the financial stakes the federation has riding on this World Cup cycle, stakes that did not prevent a documentation gap in its highest-profile visa filing of the tournament.
FIFA confirmed Friday that Partey would not be permitted to travel from Ghana’s training base in Smithfield, Rhode Island, to Toronto, saying immigration decisions rest solely with host governments. A spokesperson for IRCC said every applicant is assessed individually based on the facts available and the law that applies.
Ghana’s government has publicly contested the outcome, though its objection has centered on the propriety of Canada’s decision rather than the federation’s filing. Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams called the grounds for the refusal “flimsy,” arguing Canada should not act on charges Partey has not been convicted of. Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said it had opened diplomatic engagement with Canadian authorities seeking a reversal.
Partey holds a valid United States visa and remains eligible for Ghana’s remaining Group L fixtures, against England in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on June 23 and Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27.
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