Partey loses Canadian visa appeal

A Canadian court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal ‌by Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey after he was denied entry into the ​country for his team's game against Panama at the World Cup.The Canadian government last week refused a visa ​for Partey, 33, which led to his lawyers ‌launching a last-minute appeal to the Federal Court in Ottawa. The Black Stars face ​Panama in their Group L match in Toronto on Wednesday.In dismissing the appeal, judge Roger Lafreniere wrote that Partey sought "extraordinary, mandatory interlocutory ​relief" that would have required Canada to set ⁠aside a "lawfully rendered inadmissibility finding and ⁠facilitate his entry for a specific event."Ahead of the verdict, Partey's lawyer Mackeda Bramwell told Reuters ‌they were hopeful of a positive outcome. Bramwell said Partey would not appeal if the judge ruled against him.She did not immediately respond ‌to a Reuters request for comment following the judge's decision.Former Arsenal midfielder Partey faces allegations of rape and sexual assault in Britain. He has denied the charges.The US government has granted Partey a visa, but ⁠Canada's immigration officials said that under Canadian law, ​foreign nationals can be found inadmissible without a ​foreign conviction."When there are reasonable grounds to believe an act ​that would trigger inadmissibility has been committed by an applicant, ⁠they can be deemed inadmissible to Canada," a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said.Sky Sports News has contacted the Ghana Football Association for comment.