Black Stars in Toronto without Thomas Partey as court weighs his fate
The Black Stars touched down in Toronto on Monday (June 15) ahead of their World Cup opener against Panama, but the squad has arrived without midfielder Thomas Partey, whose bid to enter Canada will be decided by a Federal Court judge on Tuesday.
Ghana's government has filed an injunction application to overturn Canada's decision to deny Partey a visa over rape and sexual assault charges he faces in England. The hearing is scheduled for 1pm GMT in Ottawa . The 33-year-old, who has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, remains in the United States while awaiting the ruling.
The team completed their pre-tournament preparations in the US and flew into Toronto on Monday afternoon.
Coach Carlos Queiroz has a full squad with no injury concerns ahead of the Group L opener, with the Black Stars set to hold their official training session at BMO Field on Tuesday evening.
Ghana faces Panama at 11pm GMT on Wednesday in what will be the nation's fifth World Cup appearance. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two nations. The Black Stars are looking to start the tournament strongly before facing England in Boston on June 23.
The federal court ruling will determine whether Partey can join the squad for the Panama match and potentially future fixtures in Canada. Should Ghana finish as runners-up in Group L, they would return to Toronto for a last-32 match .
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has stated that "hosting major events does not change Canada's immigration laws," and that "every person seeking to come to Canada is assessed individually, based on the facts available". Ghana's government has called the decision "extremely unfair" .
