While the US has drawn attention for blocking fans, coaches, and referees from entering the country for the World Cup, co‑host Canada has also denied entry into its country for two players. Ahead of Ghana’s opening match against Panama in Toronto, midfielder Thomas Partey was denied a visa to travel from the US to Canada. And just yesterday, Canada refused a visa for Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi before Saturday’s match against Germany, also in Toronto. Neither player has been convicted of a crime - Partey has been charged with sexual assault and Wahi arrested on suspicion after a recent match‑fixing controversy. Under Canadian law however, foreign nationals can be denied entry based solely on criminal charges, regardless of whether a foreign conviction exists.
Canada shows another red card at the border
Will Fitzpatrick is a multimedia reporter and producer at GZERO, where he does a little bit of everything: writing for the GZERO Daily, creating social videos, producing GZERO World, and whatever else the news cycle throws his way.
Before GZERO, Will worked in documentary film on both the production and post-production sides, including on Everest: The Other Side and on The First Wave. He has also directed and produced two short documentaries of his own. Outside the film world, Will has worked as a freelance journalist, with reporting that has taken him from the dhow workshops of Oman to the mountains of Patagonia, with plenty of stops in between. He’s especially interested in the niche, hard-to-reach, and underreported stories that reveal something bigger about how the world works.
Will studied economics and world politics at Hamilton College and received his Master’s in journalism from New York University. When he's not reporting, you can likely find Will tending to his oyster farm, on a bike, or somewhere outdoors.
