Ghana on Tuesday asked a Canadian court to overturn Ottawa’s decision to ban footballer Thomas Partey, a day before the Ghanaian side’s World Cup opener in Toronto.
Partey, a Villarreal midfielder, is facing seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault in Britain relating to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022.
He denies the allegations, but Canada last week refused to grant him a World Cup visa.
Accra filed a request for an injunction in Canadian federal court early Tuesday, seeking to set aside Ottawa’s decision and potentially allow Partey to enter Canada and play against Panama on Wednesday.
Canadian media said a judge received the request on Tuesday morning and was reviewing it.
Ghana’s veteran coach Carlos Queiroz told reporters in Toronto that his side would be ready, regardless of the court’s decision.
“It is not necessary to make comments. The story is open,” said Queiroz, a Portuguese national born in Mozambique.
“My business is to play with the cards that I have in front of me. We are waiting for a decision. When the decision (comes), we are ready.”
Ghanaian Foreign Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa has called Canada’s decision “high-handed and extremely unfair,” describing Partey as “a key member of Ghana’s senior national team.”
Accra has sent an official “note of protest” to Ottawa over the move and formally asked Canada to review the decision, Ablakwa said.
Canada’s foreign ministry has not responded to a query regarding its response to Ghana’s protest.
Queiroz declined to comment on how the absence of Partey, who previously played for Arsenal, could impact his side.
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