{"id":737298,"date":"2026-06-15T01:23:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T01:23:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/737298\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T01:23:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T01:23:18","slug":"safeguarding-questions-after-thomas-partey-joins-kids-soccer-session-at-ghanas-u-s-training-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/737298\/","title":{"rendered":"Safeguarding questions after Thomas Partey joins kids\u2019 soccer session at Ghana\u2019s U.S. training base"},"content":{"rendered":"

A day after The Athletic\u00a0broke the news that Canada had denied Thomas Partey a visa<\/a> on the basis of \u201cmaintaining safety and security\u201d, the Ghana midfielder was filmed interacting with children during a community event on Saturday at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island.<\/p>\n

Partey, formerly of Arsenal and now at Spanish side Villarreal, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to three women in July 2025 by London\u2019s Metropolitan Police. In September last year, he pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n

He was charged with two new counts of rape in February this year, relating to a fourth woman, to which he pleaded not guilty in April. His lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire of Hickman and Rose, said in a statement that her client welcomes \u201cthe opportunity to finally clear his name\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Ghana national team have been based at Bryant University campus, an official FIFA training base camp during the World Cup, since Friday after arriving from Washington D.C. The Athletic has visited the campus and spoken to people on-site to be able to report:<\/p>\n

Partey came into close contact with several children during a \u201cCommunity Day\u201d at Bryant University\u2019s campus on Saturday, where Ghana players engaged \u201cwith members of the Bryant community, fans across the globe, and local youth soccer groups\u201d, according to a post on the university\u2019s official Facebook page
\nPartey and team-mates have been training on a neighbouring pitch to one used by teenage girls for a hockey camp
\nGhana are supposed to have a \u201cprivate and secure area\u201d at the university but on Friday the off-limits areas did not appear to be enforced, with dozens of school girls walking unattended across the car park area, including a section inside the off-limits area
\nBryant University has acknowledged it was aware of the legal charges facing Partey and said \u201cenhanced security measures\u201d were in place<\/p>\n

It is a jarring juxtaposition that highlights how complicated safeguarding decisions can be in situations such as Partey\u2019s where he has not been convicted of anything and strongly insists he is innocent. U.S. immigration has granted him a visa to enter the country but Canada made a different decision.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\n Thomas Partey, left, at a community soccer event on Saturday. Children\u2019s faces have been blurred (Sahara Football)<\/p>\n

Partey has denied all the charges against him and his trial was originally scheduled for November, but may now be delayed until early 2027. Under the conditions of his bail, Partey is obliged to notify authorities of any plans to travel abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an Official Team Base Camp training site selected by FIFA, Bryant provides practice facilities and access to training, recovery, and sports medicine spaces, within a private and secure area of campus athletic facilities,\u201d read a university statement given to The Athletic on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll team activities are taking place as part of a highly coordinated security approach with FIFA World Cup 2026 officials, Rhode Island State Police, local police and outside security.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese enhanced security measures have been planned for months and are in place starting this weekend, prioritizing the safety and security of all groups on campus. We are aware of the legal charges facing a member of Team Ghana in a London court, which became public months after Bryant was announced as a base camp host. We look forward to continuing to work closely with FIFA, State Police and other security officials to support a safe and secure World Cup 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Athletic\u00a0was told by one university official, upon condition of anonymity \u2014 like others in this piece \u2014 because they were not authorised to speak publicly, that Partey\u2019s status had been considered when deciding whether to host Ghana but it was decided the team could be kept in a bubble as the team bus would drop them off in an enclosed building and he would not come into contact with students.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Ghana have made themselves at home at Bryant University (The Athletic)<\/p>\n

The Ghana Football Association announced its training camp on February 26 this year and Partey was first charged in July 2025, with the additional charges added on February 12 this year. The university did not respond to questions about this discrepancy in the timeline by the time of publication, and did not respond when asked about what safeguarding procedures were in place for the community event and whether parents were told about the charges facing Partey and that he would be present.<\/p>\n

Partey, who turned 33 on Saturday, was denied a Canadian visa last week, ruling him out of Ghana\u2019s first World Cup game against Panama in Toronto on Wednesday. He is eligible to play in Ghana\u2019s remaining Group L fixtures against England at Gillette Stadium (Boston) on June 23 and Croatia at Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia) on June 27.<\/p>\n

FIFA and the Ghana FA did not respond for a request for comment, while Bryant University did not add anything further to its initial statement.<\/p>\n

Snaking through the parking lot of Bryant University campus, the Ghana national team bus carrying Partey arrived at Beirne Stadium, the building that will serve as their base camp for the next three weeks.<\/p>\n

But while the rest of the squad will head to Toronto on Tuesday, Partey will remain in the team\u2019s Providence hotel, Graduate by Hilton.<\/p>\n

That is where they arrived from on Friday for their first training session at Bryant University, amid tight security, backed by ten 4\u00d74 vehicles, police cars and motorbikes.<\/p>\n

It was a silent cavalcade. The siren lights were on but no alarm sounded. Meanwhile, a teenage girl passed by, seemingly oblivious to the new guests as she walked across the car park towards the Track and Turf Complex to a hockey event.<\/p>\n

Parents dropped their kids off at car parks, some at C and D which were inside the the off-limits zone, and, an hour later, as Ghana\u2019s players could be heard training behind the covered pitch, a line of about 50 girls in their early teens made their way past the Ghana base and onto the same hockey pitch a couple of hundred yards to the right.<\/p>\n

\u201cBryant University is honored to welcome the Ghana Men\u2019s National Team and to serve as its training base for the FIFA World Cup 2026,\u201d said Bryant President Dr. Ross Gittell when the initial announcement was made in February. \u201cWe look forward to the partnerships, the visibility, and the enthusiasm that this opportunity will bring to Rhode Island, New England, and well beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n The welcome message at Ghana\u2019s training base, where the university\u2019s Bulldogs are usually based (The Athletic)<\/p>\n

The typical headcount of just under 4,000 students at the 428-acre campus is down to about 150 as classes are not running across the summer but next year\u2019s freshmen were on site in the week and there are summer camps coming and going from the pitch a stone\u2019s throw away from where Ghana train.<\/p>\n

Many are high school girls attending College Connection Showcase, a programme that provides what is described on the organisation\u2019s website<\/a> as \u201csuperior visibility\u201d to the collegiate coaching community. It is sold out and continued over the weekend.<\/p>\n

The Athletic asked College Connection Showcase if it was aware of Partey and Ghana\u2019s presence at the university. It did not respond.<\/p>\n

Two of the assistant coaches The Athletic spoke to on Friday were not aware that Ghana and Partey were present and the charges he is facing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel that\u2019s weird. Maybe they should tell people,\u201d said one. \u201cTalking to the other counsellors (coaches), not a lot of people knew about the allegations. Some people weren\u2019t even aware Ghana was on campus until they got there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no clue that was happening. But they have done a good job keeping us locked away,\u201d said another. \u201cWe\u2019re not allowed to go over there. On our camp (info) packs and info for staff, we are not supposed to be in this whole area for the weekend. All of the campers here have to walk from place to place with a coach like us (like we do).\u201d<\/p>\n

The Athletic was shown a map highlighting the off-limit areas where Ghana are training (which reads Beirne Stadium in an orange box). It also shows the close proximity of the two pitches either side (circled yellow).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On Friday, the off-limits areas did not appear to be being enforced with dozens of school girls walking unattended across the car park area, including the section inside the off-limits area.<\/p>\n

To walk between the Track and Turf Complex and the Athletic Field, girls and their coaches passed behind Ghana\u2019s training field, which was behind a metal chain-link fence and dark but see-through mesh sheeting.<\/p>\n

Inside the entrance to the base, the walls were plastered with Black Stars flags and motivational messages. \u2018Here to Stay\u2019, \u2018For Love & Country\u2019, \u2018The Time is Now\u2019 and a vinyl sticker on the wall which read \u2018Welcome to the Doghouse\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Partey\u2019s seat at the base camp (The Athletic)<\/p>\n

It is Bryant University\u2019s nickname and their visible branding around the training camp led to Partey\u2019s locker being positioned underneath two big stickers on the changing room wall which outlined their values: \u2018Leadership. Discipline.\u2019<\/p>\n

The university sent a photographer to capture the arrival of the Ghana bus, which one staff member said was one of the top ten biggest moments in the university\u2019s 160-year history. Partey was also filming his team-mates at a welcome event in a video posted on X on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Talent on and off the pitch! \u2013 Ladies and Gentlemen, Thomas Teye Partey. pic.twitter.com\/Pa9EKWq4tj<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 DEK360Ghana\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udded (@Dek360Ghana) June 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

On Friday, Partey trained as normal and appeared relaxed as he laughed and joked with team-mates during 15 minutes of open training.<\/p>\n

When The Athletic\u00a0asked him how he felt about being denied entry to Canada he replied by saying \u201cWhat is it? I don\u2019t know\u201d.<\/p>\n

The government of Ghana said on Saturday it intends to pursue legal action<\/a> before Canada\u2019s federal court against the \u201cextremely unfair\u201d decision to deny Partey entry to the country.<\/p>\n

The Ghana government statement said the ruling is \u201cunderstood to be based on pending criminal proceedings in the United Kingdom that have not resulted in any conviction or judicial finding of guilt\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n View from the Bryant Soccer Field looking across to the Beirne Stadium facility used as a warm-up and conditioning area, which is on the other side of the trees from the Track & Turf Complex (The Athletic)<\/p>\n

In a statement on Friday, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said: \u201cCanada has been consistent that hosting major events does not change Canada\u2019s immigration laws. Every person seeking to come to Canada is assessed individually, based on the facts available and the law that applies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Officials present from Ghana\u2019s FA declined to speak.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, Bryant University hosted a \u201cCommunity Day\u201d. In footage reviewed by The Athletic, Partey can be seen interacting with girls in pink shirts while a group of boys watch on. He then appears to leave the pitch while some his team-mates take part in a Q&A with the children.<\/p>\n

\u201cA huge thank you to the Ghana Black Stars for taking time to engage with members of the Bryant community, fans across the globe, and local youth soccer groups. An evening filled with memories that will last a lifetime,\u201d said a post on Bryant University\u2019s Facebook page later on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n Partey, with his back to the camera, at a community soccer event on Saturday. Children\u2019s faces have been blurred (Sahara Football)<\/p>\n

If Partey is restored to the Ghana team for their second game, back in the United States, then his first appearance of the World Cup will come against England at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on June 23.<\/p>\n

Until then, he will remain behind as his team-mates take to sport\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n