2026 FIFA WC: Ex-Arsenal player Thomas Partey denied entry to Canada

Toronto, June 12 (IANS) Another name has been added to the players, and officials denied entry to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey, an ex-Arsenal player, becoming the latest victim of the controversial policies of the three co-hosts.

Partey was denied a visa to enter Canada on Friday, with FIFA yet to disclose the reason for the decision. He will now be unable to play in Ghana’s World Cup opener against Panama at Toronto on Wednesday, a news report said on Friday.

Though no reason was given for the denial of a visa, it was reported that the former Arsenal player is awaiting trial in London after pleading not guilty to multiple counts of rape.

Ghana will next play England in their preliminary group in the Boston area, and Partey is already in the United States with the rest of the team, therefore available for selection.

“FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana’s Team Base Camp in Boston, USA, to Canada for their first match against Panama on Wednesday, 17 June, as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government,” a FIFA spokesperson told Sky News.

In other cases, Somali referee Omar Artan, Aymen Hussein (Iraq), Talal Salah (Iraq), Woodensky Pierre (Haiti), and Breel Embolo (Switzerland) have faced visa problems ahead of the FIFA World Cup, with Artan being denied a visa by the United States.

Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit published an open letter on Wednesday, a day before the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, calling on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign amid growing controversy surrounding U.S. immigration policies.

Recent days have seen a series of incidents involving teams and officials travelling to the tournament, with Iran’s national team forced to move its training camp to Mexico and several support staff denied visas. Somali referee Omar Artan was reportedly refused entry into the United States, Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein was held for seven hours at Chicago airport, and team photographer Talah Salah was denied entry to the country.

The Senegal and Uzbekistan squads were also subjected to extensive searches upon arrival in the United States, while uncertainty remains over whether fans and journalists from countries affected by U.S. travel bans will be able to attend the tournament, reports Xinhua.

–IANS

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