A Canadian court has dismissed an appeal by Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey after he was denied entry into the country for his team’s World Cup match against Panama.
The Canadian government refused Partey, 33, a visa last week, prompting his legal team to launch a last-minute appeal to the Federal Court in Ottawa. That appeal was rejected on Tuesday, just one day before Ghana’s Group L match against Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
In dismissing the appeal, Judge Roger Lafreniere wrote that Partey had sought “extraordinary, mandatory interlocutory relief” that would have required Canada to set aside a “lawfully rendered inadmissibility finding and facilitate his entry for a specific event.” Ahead of the ruling, Partey’s lawyer, Mackeda Bramwell, told Reuters that the team would not pursue further appeal if the judge ruled against them.
Partey, formerly of Arsenal, faces allegations of rape and sexual assault in the United Kingdom, which he has denied. While the United States has granted him a visa, Canadian immigration officials said that under Canadian law, foreign nationals can be deemed inadmissible without requiring a foreign conviction.
“When there are reasonable grounds to believe an act that would trigger inadmissibility has been committed by an applicant, they can be deemed inadmissible to Canada,” a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said.
Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz said the team is prepared to proceed without Partey. “We have our plan settled,” Queiroz told reporters ahead of the court’s decision, declining to comment further on the matter. “To add more comments about issues that are nonsense is not part of my business,” he said. “My business is to play with the cards that I have in front of me.”
The visa denial has sparked anger and frustration among Ghana’s fans, both in the country and within Canada’s Ghanaian diaspora. Akua Mensah, 45, a Canadian of Ghanaian heritage, said Canada’s decision was unfortunate.
