The Minority in Parliament is demanding answers from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation over the circumstances that led to Black Stars deputy captain Thomas Partey being denied entry into Canada ahead of Ghana’s opening 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Panama.
The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Youth, Sports and Culture Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, raised the matter during the Minority’s broader concerns about Ghana’s World Cup preparations following a briefing by Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Iddie Adams.
Assafuah stressed that the Minority was not seeking to determine Partey’s guilt or innocence, emphasising the player’s right to the presumption of innocence.
“Let us be clear, this is not about determining Mr Partey’s guilt or innocence. He is entitled to the presumption of innocence,” Assafuah 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 is calling on the GFA and the Sports Ministry to explain what they knew about Partey’s circumstances, when they became aware of them and what steps were taken before the player was included in Ghana’s final World Cup arrangements.
“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?” he asked.
Partey’s Canadian visa application was refused ahead of Ghana’s World Cup opener in Toronto. His subsequent emergency application at Canada’s Federal Court, seeking permission to travel for the match, was also unsuccessful.
The GFA subsequently stated that it had worked with Partey, his legal representatives, FIFA and the Canadian authorities throughout the process.
The Association also clarified that the Federal Court proceedings concerned immigration admissibility issues related to criminal charges pending against Partey in the United Kingdom and did not constitute a finding of negligence or misconduct against the GFA.
The Minority is now seeking further clarification from the relevant institutions on the processes and decisions surrounding the player’s attempted participation in Ghana’s opening World Cup fixture.
