US defends decision to admit Thomas Partey despite court proceedings

United States authorities were aware of Thomas Partey's ongoing criminal proceedings in the United Kingdom before allowing the Ghana midfielder to enter the country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to a statement attributed to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The statement said Partey was granted a visa and admitted into the United States because he had not been convicted of any offence.

"The US is aware of the pending court case for Mr Partey; however, at this time, he has not been convicted of a crime and was admitted to the United States after being issued a visa," the statement read.

The clarification comes after FIFA confirmed that Partey will miss Ghana's opening Group L match against Panama on June 17 after the Canadian government refused his visa application, preventing him from travelling from the Black Stars' base in Rhode Island to Toronto.

The contrasting decisions by the two North American host nations have drawn attention ahead of Ghana's World Cup opener.

Partey is currently standing trial in the United Kingdom after being charged with multiple counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

The Ghana international has denied all the allegations through his legal representatives, and the case remains before the courts.

The midfielder is currently with the Black Stars in the United States and remains eligible for Ghana's remaining group stage matches against England in Boston and Croatia in Philadelphia.

However, he will play no part in the Panama fixture in Canada after FIFA confirmed that his visa application had been refused by Canadian authorities. Neither FIFA nor the Canadian government has disclosed the reason for the refusal.

The differing approaches adopted by the United States and Canada have become one of the major talking points surrounding Ghana's World Cup campaign before a ball has even been kicked by the Black Stars.