Former England defender and football pundit Jamie Carragher has criticized FIFA and Canadian authorities over the visa controversy that has ruled Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey out of the Black Stars’ opening 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Panama.
Carragher described the situation as “an absolute disgrace” and an administrative failure, questioning how a key player could be prevented from participating in a World Cup fixture due to unresolved visa issues.
“You cannot tell fans to invest emotionally in a tournament and then allow key players to miss matches because paperwork wasn’t sorted in time.”
He argued that such matters should have been settled well before the tournament, stressing that the development is unfair to Partey, Ghana, and football fans.
“This isn’t a football problem — it’s an administrative failure that should never happen at a World Cup.”
Carragher further called for accountability from the relevant authorities, warning that incidents of this nature undermine the integrity and organization of the World Cup.
