An appeal over the decision to deny Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey entry to Canada for the World Cup will be heard at an Ottawa court on Tuesday.
The Athletic revealed on Friday that Partey, 33, would not be allowed to feature in his side's opening game of the tournament against Panama at Toronto's BMO Field on Wednesday after he was denied entry to Canada.
A Ghana government statement from Saturday said the ruling is “understood to be based on pending criminal proceedings in the United Kingdom that have not resulted in any conviction or judicial finding of guiltâ€.
The former Arsenal midfielder, now of Villarreal, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in July 2025 by London's Metropolitan Police. In September of that year, he pleaded not guilty. He was charged with two new counts of rape in February this year, to which he pleaded not guilty in April.
The government of Ghana in its statement it intended to pursue legal action before Canada's federal court and described the decision as “extremely unfairâ€.
A court filing at Ottawa's federal court lists a case between Partey and the minister of citizenship and immigration, to be heard on Tuesday June 16.
The nature of proceeding is listed as an “immediate appeal for leave and judicial review — arising outside of Canadaâ€.
The Ghana football association has been approached for comment by The Athletic. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada have also been contacted for comment.
In a statement published on X by Ghana foreign minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa following the initial decision, the government said they are “pursuing active diplomatic engagements†as they believe the “high handed†ruling “raises fundamental questions of fairness and proportionalityâ€.
Later on Tuesday, Ghana head coach Carlos Quieroz was asked about Partey being denied entry to Canada for Wednesday's game. “No particular comments about that,†he said. “It's not necessary to make comments. The story is open, the freedom of speech is open. To add more comments about issues that are nonsense, it's not part of my business.
“My business is to play with the cards that are in front of me. We are waiting for a decision. When the decision come, we are ready. We are ready to make the final approach to the game.â€
Partey was included in his country's squad for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico earlier this month and arrived in Washington D.C. with team-mates on June 4. The Ghana team travelled to their training base in Rhode Island on Friday.
Following Wednesday's World Cup opener, Ghana play England at Gillette Stadium (Boston) on June 23 and Croatia at Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia) on June 27.
Should Ghana progress through the group stage as one of the best third-place finishers, they could play in Vancouver in the round of 32.
