Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, has urged the government to deploy all available diplomatic channels to secure Thomas Partey’s entry into Canada ahead of Ghana’s crucial Group L clash against Panama.
Thomas Partey is expected to miss the June 17 fixture in Toronto after Canadian authorities reportedly rejected his visa application, preventing him from travelling from Ghana’s team base in the United States.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom on Saturday, June 13, Ayeh said Ghana must act swiftly to ensure the midfielder joins his teammates before the match.
“We must, and we have to do whatever it takes,” he said. “Our hope is not lost. We have other tools; we have other things to use. We should do everything that we have to do and ensure that we get him to where we are supposed to get him to.”
The lawmaker described the reported visa denial as disappointing and warned that Thomas Partey’s absence could undermine Ghana’s chances in a key fixture.
“This action will go a very long way to deprive Ghana of some successes we want to make in the world,” he said. “We need Thomas Partey there. He’s one of the best players we can get.”
Ayeh called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make the matter an immediate priority, arguing that diplomatic engagement should be intensified over the weekend to secure a breakthrough before the match.
“If we focus, we have the weekend to get every document together, put every information we need together, whoever we have to contact, we have the time to do that,” he said. “Monday, we launch a huge attack and expect that by close of day Monday, the good news is there.”
He added that if the issue remains unresolved by Monday, authorities should continue engagements into Tuesday to give Partey a chance of joining the squad before kickoff.
The Bosome Freho MP said Ghana’s diplomatic ties should be leveraged fully to resolve the impasse.
“What will be disappointing to everybody is if we fail as a country to use the diplomatic ties we have to get Thomas Partey to Canada to play with our team and get us the needed results,” he said.
FIFA has confirmed that Partey will be unable to travel from the United States to Canada for the fixture, noting that immigration and visa decisions are the sole responsibility of host governments and remain beyond the control of the world football governing body.
Despite the setback, Ayeh insisted Ghana still has time to act and urged officials to exhaust all available options.
“As a country, we should assemble all the arsenal that we can lay our hands on,” he said. “The ministry should do everything they can to get us results.
Source: Channelonenews
