Partey loses Canadian visa appeal

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 US 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 said.