Thomas Partey: Ghana midfielder loses appeal for Canadian visa ahead of opening World Cup fixture
Thomas Partey has had a visa appeal rejected having been refused entry to Canada ahead of Ghana's World Cup opener with Panama; Ghana play England on June 23 in Boston, USA, where Partey and the squad have been training
Tuesday 16 June 2026 23:26, UK
An appeal against the decision to deny Ghana’s Thomas Partey a Canadian visa for the World Cup has failed – with court documents revealing the initial visa application did not disclose the criminal charges he faces in the UK.
An application for a temporary resident visa (TRV) was made on May 21, but in answer to a question about whether Partey had ever committed, been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any criminal offence in any country, the response provided was 'No'.
The 33-year-old former Arsenal midfielder denies seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022, and is due to stand trial next year.
A letter addressed to Partey from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sent on May 25 set out concerns about whether his application had met the requirement to "answer truthfully".
It also stated he may be inadmissible for a temporary resident visa under a section of legislation covering misrepresentation.
The federal court, in its ruling on Tuesday dismissing the motion, noted that the response to that letter and Partey's affidavit to the court "fail to acknowledge, let alone explain why this material information was missing in his application".
Documentation concerning the charges was sent to the IRCC by the Ghana Football Association on May 27. Ghana face Panama in Toronto on Wednesday but must now do so without Partey, before they take on England in Boston on June 23. Partey has been granted a United States visa.
The court found that the officer who denied Partey a visa had not erred in law by basing the decision to refuse on an unproven offence.
"Paragraph 36(1)(c) of the IRPA (Immigration and Refugee Protection Act), as distinct from 36(1)(b), does not require a conviction in order to find the Applicant inadmissible. Rather, simply having reasonable grounds to believe that an offence has been committed is sufficient," wrote Judge Roger R. Lafreniere.
Sky Sports News has contacted the Ghana Football Association for comment.
Partey still able to play in final two Group L games
Sky Sports News' Chief Correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:
"Thomas Partey has lost his appeal against Canada's decision to deny him permission to enter the country to play in the World Cup. Against Panama on Wednesday.
"He is already in the US and can play in Ghana's other two Group L games against England and Croatia.
"His appeal was heard at a federal court in Ottawa, but it was dismissed by a judge there.
"The Canadian authorities have not revealed why they turned down Partey's visa application. We do know back in July 2025, he was charged in London with counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
"In September 2025, he pleaded not guilty to those charges. In February 2026, he was charged with two new counts of rape and in April he pleaded not guilty to those charges."
