Member of Parliament for Bosome Freho, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has said Ghana’s handling of Thomas Partey’s visa difficulties reflects a broader failure in the country’s diplomatic engagement processes ahead of major international assignments.

His comments follow the denial of a Canadian visa to the Black Stars midfielder, a development that is expected to rule him out of Ghana’s Group L World Cup qualifier against Panama in Toronto on June 17.

Mr Asafo-Adjei Ayeh argued that the situation should not be viewed in isolation, insisting that earlier diplomatic engagement could have helped avert the current setback involving one of the national team’s key players.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, June 14, he maintained that Ghana had sufficient warning signs and institutional capacity to engage relevant authorities earlier, especially given the public nature of the player’s legal and travel history.

The lawmaker made the remarks in a Facebook post on Saturday, June 13, 2026, where he stressed that the country missed critical opportunities to act proactively.

“We failed in our diplomatic engagements,” he stated, underscoring what he described as avoidable shortcomings in preparation and coordination.

He said the issue highlights the need for stronger collaboration between sporting bodies and foreign policy institutions to ensure that similar incidents do not recur during major international tournaments.