Ghana’s Partey denied entry for World Cup

Ghanaian star soccer player Thomas Partey is set to miss his national team’s opening FIFA World Cup match next week after he was denied entry to Canada.

Partey, who also plays for Villarreal CF in Spain’s club soccer league, is currently facing charges in the United Kingdom including seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to ESPN.

The news, which The Athletic first reported, marks the first instance of a national team player being denied entry to one of the tournament’s three host countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada. Ghana will play Panama on Wednesday in Toronto.

The Ghanaian government described Canada’s ruling as “extremely unfair” in a statement to The Athletic, adding that the move is “based on pending criminal proceedings in the United Kingdom that have not resulted in any conviction or judicial finding of guilt.”

“Ghana remains committed to constructive engagements with Canadian authorities and to........

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