By Bhargav Acharya and Divya Rajagopal
TORONTO, June 16 (Reuters) – A Canadian court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal by Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey after he was denied entry into the country for his team’s game against Panama at the World Cup.
The Canadian government last week refused a visa for Partey, 33, which led to his lawyers launching a last-minute appeal to the Federal Court in Ottawa. The Black Stars face Panama in their Group L match in Toronto on Wednesday.
In dismissing the appeal, judge Roger Lafreniere wrote that Partey sought “extraordinary, mandatory interlocutory relief” that would have required Canada to set aside a “lawfully rendered inadmissibility finding and facilitate his entry for a specific event.”
Ahead of the verdict, Partey’s lawyer Mackeda Bramwell told Reuters they were hopeful of a positive outcome. Bramwell said Partey would not appeal if the judge ruled against him.
She did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment following the judge’s decision.
Former Arsenal midfielder Partey faces allegations of rape and sexual assault in Britain. He has denied the charges.
The U.S. government has granted Partey a visa, but Canada’s immigration officials said that under Canadian law, foreign nationals can be found inadmissible without a foreign conviction.
“When there are reasonable grounds to believe an act that would trigger inadmissibility has been committed by an applicant, they can be deemed inadmissible to Canada,” a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told Reuters.
In Ghana and across Canada’s Ghanaian diaspora, Partey’s visa refusal has led to anger and frustration among the national team’s fans.
Speaking to Reuters on Monday, Akua Mensah, 45, a Canadian with Ghanaian roots, said the decision by the Canadian government was unfortunate.
(Divya Rajagopal in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)
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