Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey was denied entry into Canada due to the rape and sexual assault allegations he faces in London, preventing him from participating in his national team’s first match in the World Cup against Panama. The match is scheduled for next Wednesday, June 17, at BMO Field in Toronto. Despite being called up for the tournament and traveling with the team to the United States, where Ghana established its training base in Rhode Island, the 32-year-old player was unable to cross the border. The visa denial by Canadian authorities was confirmed by FIFA in a statement sent to The Athletic. “FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will not be able to travel from the Ghana team’s training camp in Boston, USA, to Canada for their first match against Panama on Wednesday, June 17, as his visa application was denied by the Canadian government,” the statement read. It is worth noting that the former Arsenal player, currently with Villarreal, faces a total of seven rape charges and one of sexual assault. The first six charges, involving three women, are said to have occurred between 2021 and 2022, with the player declaring his innocence. Subsequently, in February of this year, two new charges emerged, involving a fourth woman and crimes dating back to 2020, which Partey also declared his innocence in April. Despite this setback, Thomas Partey may participate in the remaining group stage matches for Ghana, as these will take place on North American soil. The African team will face England on June 23 in Boston and Croatia on June 27 in Philadelphia, in matches counting for Group L.
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