Black Stars Must Win for Partey, Says Midfielder Kwasi Sibo
As Ghana’s Black Stars prepare to open their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against Panama in Toronto on Wednesday evening, midfielder Kwasi Sibo has framed the match as more than just a football contest. For him and his teammates, victory carries a deeper purpose: honouring Thomas Partey, the talismanic midfielder who will be absent from the squad due to a visa denial by Canadian authorities.
“Our brother has been through a lot these days, and we are always with him,” Sibo said ahead of the opening fixture at BMO Field. “He is one of our biggest stars in the team, and for that, we need to win the game.”
Partey’s exclusion from the squad has cast a long shadow over Ghana’s World Cup preparations. The Arsenal midfielder, widely regarded as one of the most influential players in the national team setup, was denied entry to Canada because of an ongoing legal case. Ghana’s efforts to overturn the decision proved unsuccessful, leaving a significant gap in the midfield engine room that head coach Otto Addo must now address tactically.
The “win for Partey” narrative has become a rallying cry within the squad, transforming disappointment into motivation. It is a sentiment that extends beyond the dressing room. Across Accra, Kumasi, and other cities, fans have rallied behind the team with renewed fervour, viewing the Panama match as an opportunity to demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity.
Ghana’s government has thrown its weight behind the campaign, releasing over GH₱76 million to fund the Black Stars’ World Cup operations. President John Dramani Mahama has secured free-to-air broadcast rights for all of Ghana’s matches, ensuring that no citizen is excluded from watching the national team’s journey on the global stage.
The Black Stars’ group-stage path is a demanding one. After Panama, Ghana will face Croatia before concluding their group campaign against England — a fixture that promises to be one of the most-watched encounters of the tournament. A winning start against Panama is therefore not merely desirable but essential if Ghana harbour ambitions of progressing beyond the group stage for the first time since 2010.
Wednesday’s match will mark the first-ever meeting between Ghana and Panama at a FIFA World Cup. For a Black Stars squad determined to make a statement, the opening fixture represents both an opportunity and an obligation — to win, to honour an absent teammate, and to signal to the rest of the tournament that Ghana have arrived with serious intent.
Image Source: MYJOYONLINE
