Canada blocks Thomas Partey, ruling him out of Ghana opener
What's next: Ghana opens against Panama on June 17 in Toronto without the midfielder, who has pleaded not guilty to seven rape charges.
Canada denied Thomas Partey entry for Ghana’s opening World Cup match, leaving the midfielder unable to travel from the team’s base camp in Boston to Toronto for Wednesday’s game against Panama. FIFA said the Canadian government refused Partey’s visa application and noted that host countries control admission decisions. Partey, a former Arsenal player now with Villarreal, is facing seven rape charges in Britain and has pleaded not guilty. Five charges were filed last July by London’s Metropolitan Police, with two more added earlier this year. Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz kept Partey in the squad, citing the presumption of innocence while the case proceeds.