The Minority in Parliament is demanding answers from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation over Thomas Partey’s inability to enter Canada for Ghana’s opening 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Panama.

Ranking Member of Parliament’s Youth, Sports and Culture Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, said the issue was not about determining Partey’s guilt or innocence, but whether Ghana’s football and sports authorities properly assessed the situation before including him in the World Cup plans.

“This is not about determining Partey’s guilt or innocence. He is entitled to the presumption of innocence,” he said.

The GFA made a last-minute bid to ensure Partey gets access to enter Canada, but the process proved futile.

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As such, Assafuah stressed that the Minority would like to know the processes the Football Association and the Ministry went through.

“Our concern is whether the GFA and the Ministry carried out the necessary administrative and legal due diligence. What did they know, when did they know it, and what steps did they take before including Partey in Ghana’s final World Cup arrangements?” he quizzed.

Thomas Partey was denied entry into Canada after authorities deemed him inadmissible amid ongoing criminal proceedings in the United Kingdom.

A Federal Court subsequently dismissed his attempt to overturn the decision and travel to Toronto for Ghana’s opener.

The former Arsenal midfielder is facing seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in the UK and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Crown Prosecution Service says the allegations relate to four women and incidents between 2020 and 2022.



FKA/MA

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