The Minority in Parliament is demanding answers over the circumstances that led to Black Stars deputy captain Thomas Partey being denied entry into Canada for Ghana’s opening 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Panama.
Ranking Member of the Youth, Sports and Culture Committee Vincent Ekow Assafuah raised this issue during the Minority’s broader concerns over Ghana’s World Cup preparations, following Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams’ briefing to Parliament’s Youth, Sports and Culture Committee.
The Minority said its concerns are not about determining Partey’s guilt or innocence, but whether the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation carried out the necessary administrative and legal due diligence before including him in the final World Cup arrangements.
“Let us be clear, this is not about determining Mr. Partey’s guilt or innocence. He is entitled to the presumption of innocence,” the Ranking Member of the committee said.
“Our concern is whether the institutions responsible for Ghana’s World Cup campaign did the basic administrative and legal due diligence required of them.”
The Minority wants to know what the GFA and the Ministry knew about Partey’s circumstances, when they became aware of them and what steps were taken before the tournament.
“So the question is: what did the GFA and the Ministry know about the circumstances surrounding Mr. Partey, when did they know it, and what steps did they take before including him in the final World Cup arrangements?” the Ranking Member asked.
It is also seeking clarity on whether Canadian authorities were engaged, whether legal advice was obtained, whether Partey’s admissibility was assessed and whether a contingency plan was prepared in case he could not enter Canada.
Partey’s Canadian visa application was refused ahead of Ghana’s World Cup opener in Toronto. He subsequently lost an emergency application at Canada’s Federal Court seeking relief that would have allowed him to travel for the match.
Ghana’s government formally protested Canada’s decision, while the GFA later said it had worked with Partey, his legal representatives, FIFA and Canadian authorities throughout the visa process.
The Minority said the incident raises questions about the preparedness of the institutions responsible for Ghana’s World Cup campaign.
“Instead, we were left with the extraordinary situation where Ghana arrived at a major international tournament only to have one of its key players unable to enter the country,” the Ranking Member said.
The Minority also questioned how the issue could have remained unresolved despite preparations to facilitate the movement of supporters and officials across North America.
“And this happened while enormous attention was being devoted to organising travel, tickets and visa-related arrangements for supporters,” he said.
“How could institutions that were so focused on facilitating the movement of hundreds of Ghanaians across North America fail to adequately address the entry requirements affecting one of the country’s most important players?”
