Thomas Partey Breaks Silence After Canadian Visa Drama Ahead of England Clash
- Thomas Partey has spoken for the first time since he was denied entry into Canada for Panama clash
- Canada denied him entry amid ongoing sexual assault charges in England, and also rejected his appeal
- The former Arsenal midfielder is back for the second match against the Three Lions of England on June 23
Thomas Partey is back in contention to play for Ghana against England in their second Group L game on June 23 after missing the 1-0 win over Panama.
The Canadian immigration authorities denied Partey an entry visa into the country for the opening match amid his ongoing sexual assault charges in England.
Source: Getty Images
The Ghanaian government appealed, but it was rejected. As noted by The Guardian, Partey had wrongly claimed he had no ongoing criminal charges during his initial application.
Ghana’s midfield showed obvious signs of his absence even though they ground out a late win against the Central Americans, thanks to Caleb Yirenkyi’s goal.
The Black Stars returned to the United States for their second group game against the Three Lions of England at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
Partey speaks after Canadian visa drama
Thomas Partey, who is in line to start against England, has provided an update about his condition and the atmosphere in camp after missing Ghana’s first match against Panama.
“I'm okay, I'm feeling good, we've been training good, everybody is ready. I think we are here to try our best to compete with the rest of the team, and I think preparation is key,” he said at a pitch-side interview after training.
“I think the emotions in our camp were really good after the game. I think everybody is here to enjoy. We're going into this [England] game knowing we will compete against the best players. This is why we are here: to compete against the best and also to learn. We would give our best.”
Partey admitted that the visa issue is behind him, describing it as something beyond his control, and is now fully ready to get into a midfield battle against his former teammate Declan Rice.
“It is part of football; things happen in football that you cannot control. For me now, I feel okay, and I'm ready to play,” he added.
“I know it's not going to be easy, he [Declan Rice] is a very good player. I'm happy to be playing against him again.”
Source: Getty Images
Head coach Carlos Queiroz, as in most previous interviews, refused to dwell on one player and instead focused on his team ahead of the crucial clash.
“Along my life, I never talk individually about players. I only talk about one specific player in my team, which is the team,” he said via GFA when asked about Partey’s return.
Supercomputer predicts England vs Ghana
Legit.ng previously reported that Opta’s supercomputer predicted the result of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group L match between England and Ghana.
The supercomputer ran 25,000 pre-game simulations and backed Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions for an overwhelming win over the Black Stars.
Source: Legit.ng
