Thomas Partey cannot set foot in Canada, and Ghana's government is not staying quiet about it. The midfielder is currently banned from entering the country, which puts his participation in Ghana's opening World Cup match there in serious jeopardy.
The Ghanaian government has now called for a review of the ban, signaling that this situation has moved beyond football administration and into official diplomatic territory. The stakes are high: a World Cup opener without one of the team's most influential players is not a small thing.
How this gets resolved, and how fast, is the question everyone in Ghana is watching right now.
Originally published by BBC Africa.