Minority in Parliament questions Ghanaâ??s World Cup preparedness after Thomas Partey visa setback

The Minority in Parliament has questioned Ghana’s overall preparedness for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following the inability of Black Stars deputy captain Thomas Partey to enter Canada for the team’s opening match.

The issue was raised by Ranking Member of the Youth, Sports and Culture Committee Vincent Ekow Assafuah during the Minority’s response to Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams’ briefing to Parliament.

Assafuah questioned how Ghana could have devoted significant resources to arranging travel, tickets and visa-related support for supporters and officials while one of the national team’s key players was unable to enter the country.

“Instead, we were left with the extraordinary situation where Ghana arrived at a major international tournament only to have one of its key players unable to enter the country,” he said.

The Minority also wants to know whether Canadian authorities were engaged ahead of the tournament, whether legal advice was obtained, whether Partey’s admissibility was properly assessed and whether contingency arrangements were made in case he could not travel.

“And this happened while enormous attention was being devoted to organising travel, tickets and visa-related arrangements for supporters,” Assafuah said.

“How could institutions that were so focused on facilitating the movement of hundreds of Ghanaians across North America fail to adequately address the entry requirements affecting one of the country’s most important players?”

The GFA has maintained that it supported Partey’s visa application and worked with his legal representatives, FIFA and Canadian authorities throughout the process. The Association said the eventual Canadian Federal Court decision was based on immigration admissibility considerations arising from the pending UK criminal proceedings against Partey, rather than a failure by the GFA to provide information.

The Minority’s concerns form part of wider questions being raised over Ghana’s administrative and logistical preparations for the World Cup.

 

 

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