The Federal Court of Canada in Ottawa dismissed the appeal by the 33-year-old Villarreal professional against the entry refusal. This means Partey will miss Ghana’s first group match against Panama on Thursday at 1:00 a.m. in Toronto. The judges ruled that the integrity of the immigration system outweighed the player’s interests, even though they acknowledged the circumstances were unusual and of great significance to him and the national team.
Partey has been on trial in London since April on abuse charges. He is accused of raping a woman twice in December 2020. At Southwark Crown Court, he pleaded not guilty; a verdict is not expected before mid-2027. Because of these charges, Canadian authorities denied him entry.
Lawyer Mackeda Bramwell submitted a statement in which Partey pledged to remain under constant supervision by team officials and to leave Canada after the team’s departure. “I have not been convicted. I pleaded not guilty and am presumed innocent,” Partey said. He followed the proceedings from the World Cup camp in Smithfield, Rhode Island, where U.S. authorities allowed him to enter with the team.
His participation in the remaining group matches against England on June 23 in Massachusetts and against Croatia on June 27 in Philadelphia is not affected. Ghana’s national coach Carlos Queiroz did not comment on the case at the press conference. Ghana’s Foreign Ministry had previously sent a protest note to Canada – without success.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
