Politics
Canada defends blocking Ghana’s Thomas Partey from entry
OTTAWA — The Canadian government defended its decision to ban Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey from entering the country as necessary for “maintaining the safety and security of Canadians.”
Partey has been charged with sexual assault and rape in the United Kingdom but has not been convicted of anything. He has pleaded guilty and is expected to stand trial in 2027.
“Under Canadian law, foreign nationals can be found inadmissible without a foreign conviction,” Matthew Krupovich of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told POLITCO in a written statement. “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.”
Ghana will play its opening World Cup match against Panama next Wednesday in Toronto. Partey entered the United States with Ghana’s team last week and has been present at the team’s training camp in Rhode Island. Ghana’s other two matches are scheduled to take place in the United States.
“Canada is proud to be a host country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is working to facilitate a successful event while maintaining the safety and security of Canadians,” said Krupovich. “Canada has been consistent that hosting major events does not change Canada’s immigration laws.”
INGLEWOOD, California — FIFA paid tribute to California’s Native American tribes as part of the pregame festivities ahead of Friday’s match at SoFi Stadium, the tournament’s first in the United States.
So-called native land acknowledgments have become common in North America, especially on the West Coast of the United States and across Canada, but have faced criticism and ridicule as the “latest woke ritual,” as one Wall Street Journal commentary put it.
The prerecorded video that played as the stadium filled up with U.S. and Paraguay fans acknowledged the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation and Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians, among others, as “the original inhabitants of Los Angeles County.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s campaign-style efforts to win support from local political officials across the United States last year included visits with tribal leaders, POLITICO reported at the time.
The ruling comes in the final days of the primary campaign between the former city comptroller and Rep. Dan Goldman…
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BARGERSVILLE, Indiana — Sen. Todd Young settled into a booth at a Belgian-style brewhouse in a suburb just south of Indianapolis to watch Canada square off against Bosnia and Herzegovina — a little bleary-eyed after a storm-stricken flight back from Washington left him in Columbus, Ohio.
A staffer picked him up and drove him the three or so hours to his native Indiana, where he would spend just one night at home before jetting to New Jersey Saturday for the Brazil vs. Morocco match. There he would headline a fundraiser for a Republican colleague that Young declined to name.
Nothing could keep Young, a co-chair of the Congressional Soccer Caucus, perhaps the Senate’s biggest soccer fan and likely its only member who can score off a scissors kick, from watching the tournament.
On this afternoon, the second of the tournament, he was here to watch a game with Blue Light News and discuss the geopolitics of the day.
“One of the things I’m hopeful for is a really good showing by the United States, so that the game of soccer in the U.S. can use this as a springboard or a catalyst to continue to grow quite a bit into the next decade or so,” Young said.
He had blocked off tonight’s game to watch the U.S.’s opening match versus Paraguay with his soccer-playing daughter.
Young is also one of the key Republicans who is using the World Cup to squeeze Democrats on extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as it expires today. Democrats have refused to support even a short-term extension of the law ever since President Donald Trump nominated Bill Pulte, a political ally with no national security experience, to serve as acting DNI.
“It would be a lot of finger-pointing,” Young said of a potential domestic security lapse. “You should just pull out every stop right now to make sure that there are no problems.”
When Canada went down 1-0 in the 21st minute, he was less interested in the fact that our allies were losing — “they’re very close allies and important trading partners, and increasingly good at soccer, a new export for that country,” he told me — and more interested in the quality of the goal itself.
He dialed in on a replay of Jovo Lukić’s set piece goal.
“Hell of a goal: slip header, near-bar run,” said Young, nursing a Belgian-style blonde.
As halftime approached, our conversation turned to 2028, and the fact that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a fellow Republican, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, were expected to share box seats.
“Oh, that’s good for the country,” Young said, “Good for Marco. And good for Gavin.”
Young, who has spent a significant amount of time thinking about the GOP’s future, was less enthusiastic at answering a question about who might be at the top of his party’s own ticket in 2028. Was he more Team Rubio or Team Vice President JD Vance, a fellow former Midwestern senator with whom he built a relationship before Vance’s ascension?
“Oh, shit,” Young said. “I’m Team USA, brother. I’m Team USA.”
- FIFA does pregame land acknowledgment
- Canada defends blocking Ghana’s Thomas Partey from entry
- Judge finds Lander not guilty in 26 Federal Plaza obstruction case
- Todd Young talks World Cup geopolitics, Section 702 — and 2028
- Republicans use World Cup to squeeze Dems on FISA extension
- Missouri NOT probing FIFA ticket prices — yet
- Senate panel approves Department of War name change
- Judge finds Lander not guilty in 26 Federal Plaza obstruction case
- PR fail: Mamdani’s Boricua bungle
- ‘Knife’s edge’: US-Mexico relationship teeters as World Cup begins
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