Members of Parliament were divided over the circumstances that led to the refusal of Canadian authorities to grant an entry visa for Black Stars Defensive midfielders, Thomas Partey
On the floor of the House on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, made a statement in support of the Black Stars’ 2026 World Cup opener with Panama last night. Members took turns to comment on the statement, cheering the team to victory.
Some minority MPs opined that some people at the helm of affairs “slept on their jobs” by providing false information on the application form when the status of the player in question was of public knowledge.
The Member of Parliament for Bosome-Freho, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, could not fathom why Ghana would proceed to court to challenge the visa refusal when they knew they had provided false information during the application.
According to him, the management should have dealt with the issue diplomatically when they realised the challenges.
However, the Member of Parliament for Builsa North, James Agalga, disagreed with him, arguing that Canada was only enforcing their laws and that the Ghanaian officials could not be blamed for the steps they took.
The majority MP for Guan, Fred Agbenyo, said the refusal was “unfair” and “discriminatory”, adding that blaming the Ghana Football Association was most “unfortunate”, as it “was Canada that was adamant”.
The member for Ho West, Emmanuel Bedzrah, in his comment, indicated that the development was unfortunate, “but I think that it is a lesson to us (Ghana)”.
COURT
Following the visa denial to Thomas Partey on May 21, 2026, Ghana represented him to file a suit at the Federal Court in Ottawa, Ontario, on June 14, 2026.The docket numbered IMM-12882-26, presented before the judge, The Honourable Mr Justice Roger R. Lafrenière, was between Thomas Teye Partey as the applicant and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration of Canada as the respondent.
The applicant requested, among others, “an order directing the respondent to determine, on an expedited basis, the applicant’s request for reconsideration of the refusal and/or for a temporary resident permit (TRP) under section 24 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, SC 2001, c 27 [IRPA].”
According to the facts contained in the judgement by the court, dated June 16, 2026 Thomas Partey applied for a temporary resident visa (TRV) to Canada as part of the GFA delegation under a FIFA invitation to play in Ghana’s match against Panama in the 2026 mundial.
“In the statutory criminality and security questions of the TRV application, the applicant answered ‘No’ to having ever committed, been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any criminal offence in any country”, the court document read in part.
The court was also told that on May 25, 2026 the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) wrote a procedural fairness letter to the applicant, indicating that information in the public domain showed he was facing several sexual assault charges in the United Kingdom.
The letter also raised concerns regarding the obligation of the applicant to answer “truthfully” under laws governing the visa application.
Two days later, on May 27, 2026 the applicant responded to the procedural fairness letter and, this time, notified the Canadian embassy of the criminal charge and a statement of assets and other financial circumstances attached.
The court said that, on May 28, 2026 prior to “the final decision on admissibility”, the embassy noted that the applicant “did not meet the requirements under the Temporary Public Policy to exempt certain FIFA-invited applicants attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”
It said that the Global Case Management System noted that, based on the biometrics collection requirement, the applicant, Thomas Partey, was “ineligible for the biometrics exemption”.
“IRCC therefore requested that the applicant pay the applicable fee. IRCC additionally requested that the applicant provide an original police certificate provided by the UK”, the judgement stated.
The court indicated that there was a discrepancy between the information that appeared on the UK police record and what the lawyers of Thomas Partey provided.
It stated that on June 4, 2026, the applicant provided an ACRO Police Certificate issued by a UK police unit and said there were “impending prosecutions” against Partey for rape, sexual assault, and others, adding that all were under investigation by the Metropolitan police.
However, the UK Police Certificate provided by the applicant was accompanied by a letter from his solicitors, representing him in the criminal proceedings in England, bearing the same date.
The solicitors told the Canadian authority that the UK Police Certificate “is incorrect”, and confirmed that Thomas Partey was “due to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court on June 7, 2027, on an eight-count indictment to which he has pleaded not guilty”.
According to the court document, Thomas Partey was refused the visa because the charges against him in the UK constituted an offence by law if committed in Canada and punishable by a prison term.
DECISION
The lawyers for Partey also prayed the court for an interlocutory order to allow Partey temporary entry into Canada for the match, but the court said that the request was not within its jurisdiction.
The court, after analysing the facts presented by both parties, could not grant the relief sought by Thomas Partey and thus dismissed the motion.
“The totality of the reasons provided, which includes the Global Case Management System notes, demonstrates there is no serious issue in the underlying refusal,” the
