Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey denied entry to Canada for Ghana’s World Cup opener

Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey will miss his nation’s first World Cup game in Toronto against Panama, after being denied entry to Canada.

Partey, 32, has pleaded not guilty to seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022.

He is due to stand trial next year.

In a statement, Fifa confirmed the former Arsenal player, who is now with Spanish side Villarreal, will be unable to travel from Ghana’s training base in Boston, where he is currently located after having his “visa application refused by the Canadian government”.

World football’s governing body added: “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.”

On the Canadian government website, rules around visiting the country state: “If you have committed or been convicted of a crime, you may not be allowed into Canada.”

Partey has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has not been convicted, but is awaiting trial.

Canadian immigration officials said they could not provide details about individual cases but said the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) “applies its rules consistently and without exception, regardless of nationality, profile, or role in the tournament”.

The statement added: “IRCC officers are trained decision-makers who assess an individual’s eligibility and admissibility in accordance with Canadian immigration laws.

“If they believe that an individual could pose a security risk, they may decide to deny them entry.”

A US Customs and Border Protection official added: “The US is aware of the pending court case for Mr Partey, however, at this time, he has not been convicted of a crime and was admitted to the United States after being issued a visa.

“Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection.

“CBP [customs and border protection] officers have the authority to question travelers, conduct inspections, and determine admissibility consistent with US law. CBP defers to Canada for questions on his denial of entry. “

BBC Sport has approached the Ghana Football Association for comment.

Prior to the tournament, Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz said he had no qualms over selecting Partey, who was at Atletico Madrid before moving to London in 2020 to join the Gunners.

“If the player is here with me, my answer is clear,” said Queiroz.

“I don’t have any comments about my own decisions. He is here so what are we talking about?

“This is not for me or you to make a judgement about.

“Let the events run their normal course; let the river flow and one day when the river meets the ocean we are going to find the truth.”

Ghana are set to face England in their second Group L match at the Boston Stadium, Foxborough, on 23 June (21:00 BST) before taking on Croatia on 27 June in Philadelphia (22:00 BST) – both games in which Partey could still feature.

Ghana could potentially return to Canada in the last 32 if they finish as runners-up in Group L. In that scenario they would advance to play the runners-up in Group K in Toronto on Thursday, 2 July.

If they were to progress in third place from their group and win their last-32 match, their last-16 fixture would take place in Vancouver on Tuesday, 7 July.

Partey’s situtation is not the first to involve the authorities of the host nations – the United States, Mexico and Canada – as the tournament gets under way.

Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was questioned for several hours at a Chicago airport before being allowed into the country.

Iran have been forced to switch their base location to Mexico, their fans have had their tickets revoked, while members of their delegation were refused visas.

Meanwhile, Somali referee Omar Artan was not allowed into the US because of his “association with suspected members of terror organisations”, according to a source from President Donald Trump’s administration.

Artan, who held a diplomatic passport and a single entry US visa, told the New York Times this week that he was questioned by border officials over his links to Somali militant group Al Shabab and had told them he knew nothing about the group.

“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” said Artan.

“I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”

Artan was voted the 2025 Confederation of African Football men’s referee of the year and has been on Fifa’s international list since 2018. He was set to be the first Somali to referee at the World Cup finals.