Canada denies Ghana fans visa for U-20 World Cup

Supporters of Ghana’s Black Princesses at next month’s FIFA Women’s Under-20 Championship in Canada who were yearning to go and support the Princesses have had their hopes dashed after the Canadian High Commission in Ghana denied 36 fans entry visas to enable them travel.
Apart from the 36 fans, other supporters who had been carefully selected by one of the nation’s leading travel and tours operators, were also refused visas. These fans were selected on account of their rich travel experience to Europe and Asia and other countries, and had regular employment and consistent bank balances.
A copy of the refusal letters indicated the reasons for refusal as length of proposed stay in Canada, unclear purpose of visit, personal assets and financial status as well as applicants having insufficient funds to travel.
Information gathered also indicate that the Canadian High Commission was alarmed over the reported case of some Ghanaians fans who travelled to Brazil to watch the just-ended FIFA World Cup but later applied to seek asylum in Brazil after the tournament.
Some of the applicants said the issue about Ghanaians seeking asylum after the World Cup in Brazil must not be the reason to deny them entry to Canada to support the Black Princesses.
They therefore called on the visa section of the Canadian High Commission to reconsider their application to enable travel to support the national team.
“Countries who bid to host FIFA World Cups are obliged to issue visas to applicants who meet the requirements and not to deny them visas,” noted the disappointed fans, who appealed to government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene on their behalf to enable them to travel to Canada for the tournament.
Credit: Graphic Online