Thomas Partey risk missing 2026 World Cup as Canada court dismiss visa refusal case

Canada Federal Court don throway di motion wey Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey file to challenge im visa refusal to play di World Cup game against Panama on Wednesday 17 June.

Afta more dan one hour of hearing di arguments form di Canada ministry of citizenship and immigration and lawyers for di 33-year-old player, Judge Roger Lafreniere return to dismiss di appeal.

Dis mean say di midfielder no go fit enta Canada to play for Ghana for dia game against Panama on Wednesday.

Di court no only throway di appeal against di initial refusal, dem also throway di relief wey dey ask Canada authorities to issue "temporary resident permit" wey go allow am enta di kontri for short period.

Wit dis ruling, Ghana gatz play dia Group L game without one of dia experienced players.

As tins stand, if Ghana qualify from di group stage, di chance say dem go play more games for Canada dey high and unless sometin change, Partey no fit enta Canada sake of dem say im be "inadmissible".

Canada immigration law dey tok say any pesin wey dey face charges or dey convicted for indictable crimes for anoda kontri outside Canada, no dey admissible for di kontri.

Among oda tins, lawyers for di 33-year-old midfielder ask di court for

Some facts of di case

According to court documents, di player bin apply for temporary resident visa to visit Canada as part of di Ghana Football Association delegation under Fifa invitation for di World Cup game against Panama on 17 June, 2026.

For di place on top di form wey di applicant gatz fill di statutory criminality and security questions, di applicant bin answer "NO" to di fact say im eva commit crime, chop arrest, or face charge or chop conviction of any criminal offence for any kontri.

Na so di kontris Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) bin write to di applicant to tok am say information dey available say im dey face plenti sexual assault-related charges for di UK, na so im gatz remember to answer di questions on top di form truthfully.

On 27 May 2026, di applicant bin respond wit notice of criminal charges and one statement of assets and oda financial tins.

According to di facts of di case, for 28 May authorities decide say im no dey "admissible" to di kontri, wey dem ask di applicant to provide original police certificate wey di UK go provide.

For 4 June, di applicant provide one police certificate wey di police unit for di UK don produce wey show "impending prosecutions for rape of female aged 16 years and ova", "sexual assault and engaging for controlling/coercive behaviour in an intimate/family relationship, all under investigation by di Metropolitan Police.

According to court documents, lawyers for Thomas Partey for di sexual assault and rape cases bin write to explain say di UK police certificate wey dem present, no dey correct. Dem explain say di player dey due to stand trial for Southwark Crown Court on 7 June, 2027 for eight-count indictment (7 counts of rape and one count of sexual assault), wey di player don plead NOT guilty.

More information for di fact of di case show say US bin issue am visa visa on 4 June, 2026, an so for 5 June, IRCC ask am for more documents to apply for di 'temporary resident permit' wey go allow am travel to Canada.

For 10 June, di assitanr deputy minister for IRCC now refuse am di permit sake of dem find say di charges im dey face for di UK na indictable offence wot up to 10 years prison term for Canada, so im dey "inadmissible to. Canada".

For 14 June, di applicant bin submit request to reconsider and issue temporary resident permit to di IRCC.

Lawyers for Thomas Partey bin accuse immigration authorities say dem bin make mistake to deny am di permit so make di court order anoda officer to process im application.

Some of di reasons why dem dismiss di motion

Di court say di applicant neva establish say di immigration officer bin ignore contradictory information or say im misapprehend di evidence when im dey take di decision to refuse di player di visa.

"Na law say visa officers dey presumed say dem weigh and consider all evidence bifor dem to take dia decision, unless di evidence no dey bifor dem."

Di applicant tok say di officer bin breach di duty of procedural fairness when im refuse di visa sake on some mata wey dem no present bifor di officer, "I bin disagree, di applicant fail to disclose say im dey face plenti criminal charges for sexual violence for di UK.

On di argument say no court bin judge di applicant or find am guilty of di offence na so im dey admissible, no dey work like dat.

According to di judge, if di officer get reasonable grounds to believe say di applicant bin commit di offence, dat alone dey enough to deny entry.

Di judge now quote some paragraph of Canadian law wey tok say pesin to bounce pesin visa application, court no for find di pesin guilty bifor; di mere fact say di officer get reasonable ground to believe say di pesin commit di offence dey enough.

For di argument by di applicant say im go suffer "irreparable harm" if dem go grant am di visa, di court tok say to tok say you suffer "irreparable harm" na strict test.

Di court say while di applicant bin allege say im go lose opportunity to play for di World Cup, no be sake of immigration laws of Canada, na sake of di plenti sexual assault charges wey im dey face for di UK.

Finally on di part wia di applicant say di court gatz treat im case different, di court rule say dat go mean say di kontri dey set aside dia lawful inadmissibility findings, to facilitate entry of di player for di specific event.

Di court further add say per Canada law, dem for consider di public interest to balance di harm ad for dis case, di public interest dey weigh pass di relief wey di applicant bin dey ask.

Wetin dis decision dey mean?

Lawyers for di Ghana midfielder togeda wit di govment and sports ministry bin hope say dem go win di appeal wey di court go grant dia reliefs – to grant Thomas Partey di temporary resident permit make im just enta Canada to play di Ghana match on Wednesday 17 June.

But wit di dismissal of di motion, di 33-year-old midfielder wey play 5 times for Ghana wit 16 goals, no go fit play di game wit Panama.

Di decision also mean say if Ghana manage to qualify from di group stage, wey dem schedule di games for Canada, im no fit play those games.

Di team already arrive for Toronto, Canada wey dem go play wit Panama for dia first group L game for Wednesday at 11 PM GMT (12 AM WAT).

Ghana go also face England and Croatia later for di group.

Already Ghana dey without some of dia key players for dis World Cup as Mohammed Kudus, Mohammed Salisu and Alexander Djiku all bin get injury.