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Sports

Ghana official releases statement after Thomas Partey denied entry to Canada for World Cup

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Ghana sports minister Kofi Adams has derided the “flimsy” grounds on which Thomas Partey has been denied entry to Canada for the 2026 World Cup and has urged a review of the decision.

The ex-Arsenal midfielder will, as it stands, miss Ghana’s World Cup opener on Wednesday against Panama in Toronto after being denied a Canadian visa.

The 33-year-old has been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by London’s Metropolitan Police and is awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Fifa confirmed on Friday that Partey, who has been granted a US visa, will be unable to travel to Toronto and will remain at Ghana’s base camp in Boston – but Adams insists the government have requested a “review” of the decision.

“If any Ghanaian is touched anywhere, we will not keep quiet over it,” Adams told local station Channel One TV on Friday.

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“Through the appropriate channels, we have communicated to the rightful authorities and are requesting for them to use all processes to review and give opportunity for a review of such a decision that we think frowns on international laws and conventions, which both Ghana and Canada are party to.”

Adams added that the grounds for Partey’s visa rejection are “fimsy” – insisting the decision is “absolutely wrong.”

“We think it’s appropriate to get the appropriate authorities to review this decision,” he said. “We’ve taken it to that level, and we hope and pray that they do what they must do.

“Thomas was one of the players who was asked to go to the [London] embassy for his biometrics, and then yesterday morning we got the decision that he has been denied entry to Canada on very flimsy grounds. I say flimsy because the person has already been charged, he has not been found guilty.

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“Even in the country where they claim he committed the act, for which reason he is in court, which he has denied, he is still living there, as a free citizen, walking about freely and doing anything every free citizen should do.

“He’s plying his trade, so one is therefore surprised that Canada — which is so far away — will now apply rules to the extent where somebody has merely been charged.

“This is absolutely wrong. I don’t understand why today Canada is interpreting their rules to suggest that a charge means guilty.”

Partey, 33, will remain at Ghana's base camp in Boston
Partey, 33, will remain at Ghana’s base camp in Boston (Getty)

Canada’s government website suggests visitors may be denied entry to the country if they have “committed or been convicted of a crime”, although Partey has not been convicted of any crime.

In a statement, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said: “Canada is proud to be a host country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is working to facilitate a successful event while maintaining the safety and security of Canadians. Canada has been consistent that hosting major events does not change Canada’s immigration laws.

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“Every person seeking to come to Canada is assessed individually, based on the facts available and the law that applies.”

Fifa added in a statement: “FIFA is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas. As with previous FIFA events, the host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country.”

Partey, who plays for Spanish club Villarreal, was granted a US visa before the tournament and will be eligible to play against England in Boston on 23 June, as well as Ghana’s final group game against Croatia in Philadelphia on 27 June.

The allegations against Partey relate to four different women. The trial was set for November but Judge Tony Baumgartner, the Recorder of Westminster, warned Partey and lawyers in the case that the trial could now be delayed until January next year.

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The Ghanaian midfielder, who previously lived in Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 in a transfer worth around £45m, before he left the club in June last year.

Partey is on bail during the legal proceedings, with a condition that he does not contact alleged victims and that he must tell the court if he plans on travelling abroad.

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The Vikings Pickup Some New Talent

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Kevin O’Connell runs onto the field before a Vikings game against the Detroit Lions.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell jogs onto the field during pregame introductions, setting the tone as players follow and the crowd builds energy ahead of kickoff Oct 20, 2024, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before a divisional matchup against the Detroit Lions with preparation and urgency shaping the moment. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.

GM Nolan Teasley keeps making moves. The Vikings pickups involved bringing someone over from Cleveland and someone from Seattle.

Check out what Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network had to say: “The #Vikings plan to name Andrew Healy and Trent Kirchner as assistant GMs, adding two highly respected executives to the club’s football operation. Healy, who will serve as the team’s secondary football executive, while Kirchner is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s top talent evaluators.”

Alec Lewis sent along some added context: “The Vikings intend to name Andrew Healy and Trent Kirchner as assistant general managers in the coming days, per sources. Huge hires. Healey will serve as the team’s secondary football executive, revered for analytics; Kirchner is a premier evaluator.”

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Vikings Pickup Front Office Talent

Recently, the news emerged of moving on from other executives.

In particular, there was the loss of Demetrius Washington, who is a brain. All along, the possibility existed that the Assistant GM would depart since he has a strong history and relationship with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. He has been set free, allowed to chase his next opportunity.

Vikings mascot Viktor in 2025
Sep 21, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Viktor the Viking entertains the fans during the first half of a game between the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Likewise, the Vikings opted to move on from Jamaal Stephenson, Pat Roberts, and Salli Clavelle.

Prior to the GM decision being made — Nolan Teasley was a wise decisionPurplePTSD offered a piece considering Trent Kirchner. Consider a thought: “Quite possibly, Kirchner isn’t going to be a serious candidate. The general thought, though, of digging into Seattle’s brain trust makes a lot of sense. There has been a pile connections between Seattle and Minnesota; the Seahawks have proven to be far, far better over past couple decades.”

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And another: “Another thought: when the Vikings needed more help to bridge the gap to a full-time GM, a former Seattle executive came over. Keep an eye on the ‘Hawks.”

Fast forward from the original publication of that piece (April 17th, 2026) and there’s no reason for a victory lap. After all, the guess was for Trent Kirchner to be the GM rather than Nolan Teasley. Nevertheless, there’s some merit within the insistence that plundering Seattle’s front office made sense.

NFL: Super Bowl LX-Seattle Seahawks at New England Patriots
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Generally speaking, Minnesotans don’t have a great opinion of Adofo-Mensah since the former GM did so terribly in the draft (which is to say nothing of last year’s QB disaster). Does another analytics mind from Cleveland make sense? Some were left wanting more in the last decision maker who did analytics for the Browns.

The easy-to-connect dots are there for the taking, but every person should be allowed to shine or stumble based on his/her own merits (or lack thereof). The Browns, a terrible team, have nevertheless done some fantastic work of finding talent in the draft. Give Healy a fair shot.

Nolan Teasley and the Minnesota Vikings are coming off minicamp. Check out some of VT’s coverage in a piece, another one, and the one here.

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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay Prediction and Betting Tips

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Saudi Arabia and Uruguay begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in this Group H encounter at Miami Stadium in Florida on Monday. The remaining teams in Group H include European champions Spain and World Cup newbies Cabo Verde.

Saudi Arabia have endured a challenging year in terms of results, with a 4-0 loss to Egypt and 2-1 losses to both Serbia and Ecuador, but they did turn things around in their last two matches. They beat Puerto Rico 3-0 on 6 June and then drew 0-0 with African giants Senegal on Wednesday, 10 June.

The Green Falcons can also look back fondly on a positive campaign in the FIFA Arab Cup in December 2025, when they reached the semifinals of the competition before losing 1-0 to fellow World Cup contenders Jordan.

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Saudi Arabia came third alongside the United Arab Emirates due to bad weather in the third-place playoff, leading to the match being called off.

Meanwhile, Uruguay are the only nation at the World Cup that chose not to play any friendly matches in the immediate lead-up to the tournament, instead opting to let their players get some extra rest before joining the training camp and focusing on the tournament.

As such, La Celeste‘s most recent friendly matches were a pair of draws against England (1-1) and Algeria (0-0) in March.

Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa is famous for the relentless physical intensity of his training sessions, which often make his players particularly fit and mentally resilient. The Sky Blues can count on stars such as Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde, former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, and Tottenham‘s Rodrigo Bentancur.

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Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay head-to-head stats and key numbers

  • Uruguay and Saudi Arabia have faced each other three times in their history, with the head-to-head record being exactly even, with a draw and one win apiece.
  • However, Uruguayans would argue that their country won when it mattered, in their most recent match at the 2018 World Cup (2-1), while the other games were friendlies.
  • Uruguay have won the World Cup twice (in 1930 and 1950).
  • This will be Uruguay’s 16th World Cup tournament, while Saudi Arabia have qualified for the World Cup seven times.

Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay prediction

Uruguay are expected to control possession and dictate the tempo through a high-intensity pressing structure that is typical of Bielsa’s teams. Saudi Arabia will try to be compact and well-organized at the back, with counterattacking football set to be their main threat up front.

Uruguay have struggled to score in recent games, but they still possess the quality to secure an opening-match victory over Saudi Arabia.

Prediction: Saudi Arabia 0-2 Uruguay


Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay betting tips

Tip 1: Uruguay to win

Tip 2: Uruguay to keep a clean sheet

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Tip 3: Under 2.5 goals