Thomas Partey says he’s looking forward to seeing some old friends on Tuesday. But the circumstances around this reunion are anything but ordinary.
The Ghana midfielder spoke to media for the first time since being denied entry to Canada for the World Cup, and he’s expected to be available when his team faces England in Boston. That matchup includes a handful of his former Arsenal teammates, including Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.
“I’m really happy to see them again,” Partey said in footage posted by TV3 Ghana. “I hope they’re going to bring their best and try to give us the opportunity to play against the best and try to compete and enjoy the game.”
Partey missed Ghana’s 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto after Canadian officials refused him a visa. The reason? He’s been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in London, allegations that date back to incidents between 2020 and 2022. Partey has denied all charges and is set to stand trial next summer.
The Visa Battle That Kept Him Out of Canada
His legal team made a last-ditch effort to get him into Canada, filing an emergency appeal at the Federal Court in Ottawa. Judge Roger Lafreniere shot it down, writing that Partey was seeking “extraordinary, mandatory interlocutory relief” that would’ve forced Canada to ignore a “lawfully rendered inadmissibility finding.”
The U.S. government did grant Partey a visa, so he’s good to go for the group stage games in Boston and potentially beyond. Canada’s immigration officials maintain that under Canadian law, a foreign national can be deemed inadmissible without ever being convicted in another country.
Ghana’s World Cup Push
Ghana sits second in Group L heading into Tuesday’s match against England. They finish the group stage Saturday against Croatia. Partey seems focused on the team’s goals rather than his personal story.
“It’s not about personal achievement,” he said. “We are going to play a game of football. We are 11 players, we are a team. We have to play as a team. Individually if I can get my best game I will be happy, but at the end of the day it’s the whole team that needs to be at the top level to be able to achieve what you want to achieve.”
Whether his off-field situation becomes a bigger story as the tournament moves forward probably depends on how Ghana performs. For now, Partey gets to play. And he gets to see some old friends on the other side of the ball.
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