The Black Stars midfielder and deputy captain of the team was denied a visa to enter Canada, ruling him out of Ghana’s Wednesday, June 17, 2026, World Cup opener against Panama.
The government of Ghana filed an expedited appeal before a court in Canada, which was scheduled to be heard at 1 p.m. Ghana Time on Tuesday, June 16. Hours before the hearing was scheduled to begin, reports emerged on Twitter that Thomas Partey had won his case and been granted a Canadian visa.
Many expressed scepticism over the news, but UTV Ghana quelled those doubts after appearing to confirm the claim on air.
Presenter Abena Kyei Boakye said on-air that breaking news indicated that Thomas Partey had received his visa.
Twitter account The State News reposted UTV’s video with the caption:
“BREAKING — Thomas Partey has been granted a Canadian visa ahead of the FIFA World Cup clash against Panama.” The Twitter video of Abena Kyei Boakye announcing the supposed overruling of the Partey decision is below.
BREAKING —
— THE STATE NEWS (@THESTATENEWSS) June 16, 2026
🇬🇭🇨🇦Thomas Partey has been granted a Canadian visa ahead of the FIFA World Cup clash against Panama.
🎥: UTV pic.twitter.com/YDN3wQLVeT
Ghanaians blast UTV and Abena Kyei Boakye Shortly after the news went viral, other Twitter accounts debunked it, reporting that the hearing had yet to commence.
Popular Twitter account CDR Africa emphatically stated that the news was fake, directly contradicting the claim from UTV Ghana. “False news alert: Reports claiming Thomas Partey has been granted a Canadian visa are false.
Ghana’s government is still challenging the refusal in court.
The hearing is scheduled for 14:00 BST (1pm GMT) in Ottawa,” their post wrote.
Popular influencer Kwadwo Sheldon also slammed UTV Ghana, querying them over the source of their information.
“So where UTV get dema news from ?😭” he wondered.
Part 2
LegitJobProvider✒️🇬🇭 said: “Adey shock serf.
” Nana kwasi sark wrote: “Dem for come apologise fast fast.
What’s all this? Can’t you fact-check and cross-check as a media institution/ journalist? This be too bad.”
Gorilla commented: “They just read bloggers’ posts.”
The tweets prompted angry responses from Ghanaians, many of whom slammed UTV for failing to carry out due diligence before sharing reports.
The blunder arrived weeks after the station faced backlash for prematurely announcing that it had secured the rights to air the World Cup.
Credit Yen.com.gh
