Villarreal's Ghanaian defender #16 Thomas Partey warms up ahead of the UEFA Champions League football league stage match between Tottenham Hotspur and Villarreal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on September 16, 2025. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
Ghana said on Saturday it has formally lodged a protest over Canada’s refusal to issue a visa for the World Cup to player Thomas Partey, who is facing trial in Britain on rape charges.
Foreign Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, in a statement, said Ghana had problems with “the high-handed and extremely unfair decision” to reject a visa application by Partey, “a key member of Ghana’s senior national team”.
“Ghana has dispatched an official note of protest” to Canada, said the statement, adding that the “note also requested that Canada review its unfortunate decision”.
The Villarreal midfielder, who previously played for Arsenal, 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.
