THOMAS Partey lied on his application for a temporary visa to visit Canada ahead of Ghana’s World Cup opener, a court has found.
In his application to enter the country the ex-Arsenal star claimed he had never been charged with a crime.
Thomas Partey lied on his application for a visa to visit Canada, a court has found Credit: Getty
Partey has been charged with seven counts of rape, which he denies Credit: Getty
But Partey, 33, has been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by the Metropolitan Police.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The midfielder had his visa request to enter Canada ahead of the clash with Panama in Toronto on June 18 rejected by authorities.
Ghana FA chiefs appealed the decision but a Federal Court judge denied the emergency injunction application at a hearing in Ottawa today.
The court ruling stated that on his May 21 application, the footballer denied ever having been arrested or charged with an offence.
The ruling said: “In the statutory criminality and security questions of the application, the applicant [Partey] answered ‘No’ to having ever committed, been arrested for, charged with or convicted of any criminal offence in any country.”
was denied entry into Canada due to ongoing criminal proceedings he faced in the UK.
In his ruling dismissing the appeal, the Judge said the fact Partey has not been convicted of the “serious criminal charges” he faces is “irrelevant”.
He added: “While the circumstances are unusual and important to him and his national team, they do not rise to the level of irreparable harm.
“The law does not require a conviction to find an applicant inadmissible.
“Rather, simply having reasonable grounds to believe an offence has been committed is sufficient.”
The US government has granted Partey a visa allowing him to fly in to the squad’s main base in Providence, Rhode Island.
The midfielder had been hoping to travel to Toronto from Ghana’s base camp.
But a statement confirmed Partey was denied entry and will not play against Panama, meaning he will have to stay behind in the US.
He is still expected to face in their second World Cup group game in Boston on June 23.
A statement read: “Fifa is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas.
“As with previous Fifa events, the host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country.”
The courts decision to block Partey’s appeal came barely two hours after Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz admitted he was still in the dark.
Speaking at his pre-match news conference at BDO Field, Carlos said: “Nothing is perfect in life but we have tried to make the best of the opportunities we’ve had.
“There is nothing to say about Thomas.
“We want to be able to count on all 26 players and then we will make a decision about the starting line up.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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