Thomas Partey's visa application to Canada was denied because he told immigration officials he'd never been arrested or charged with a crime. He had been. Eight charges — seven counts of rape, one of sexual assault — are waiting for him in the UK, where his trial is scheduled to begin no earlier than January 2027.
Ghana's vice-captain missed the Black Stars' 1-0 opener against Panama on June 17 as a direct result. Caleb Yirenkyi's 95th-minute winner got Ghana off the mark without him. Now Partey is expected to play against England on June 23 at Gillette Stadium — referred to as "Boston Stadium" for the tournament — which creates one of the more uncomfortable matchups the World Cup has produced in some time.
The charges, and how they got here
The accusations span 2020 to 2022 and involve four women. The first wave — five counts of rape and one of sexual assault — emerged in July 2025. Two more rape charges followed in February, brought by a fourth accuser. Partey has pleaded not guilty to all eight. A Westminster Magistrates' Court judge consolidated the charges in April and pushed the trial back, potentially to January 2027.
Partey "vehemently defends his innocence and denies all charges," per a Villarreal statement issued when he signed with the Spanish club last August on a free transfer after Arsenal declined to renew his contract. That one-year deal is now finished too — The Athletic reported on June 17 that Villarreal won't activate the extension option. He heads into a second consecutive free agency carrying charges that no club can quietly ignore.
Ghana Football Association president Kurt Okraku and coach Carlos Queiroz have both backed his inclusion. Queiroz's line — "until the court makes a decision, the presumption of innocence is on the side of all court cases" — is legally accurate and politically convenient at the same time. When asked after the Panama win whether Partey's absence had hurt the team, Queiroz cut the question off: "I think if you saw the game, then you have the answer to your question."
What happens when he walks out against England
The reception will not be warm. Partey was booed throughout Ghana's pre-tournament friendly against Wales in Cardiff on June 1. When Villarreal faced Tottenham in the Champions League, the reaction from English fans was similar. Boston Stadium on June 23 will be louder and more pointed.
England's FA is reportedly weighing whether to instruct players to skip the pre-match handshake with Partey. Ghana's National Sports Agency director has floated the idea of making Partey captain for the match so he leads the handshake line — and suggesting the entire squad refuse to shake hands if he's snubbed. A diplomatic incident at a World Cup group stage match, in Foxboro, Massachusetts. That's where this is headed.
From a purely football standpoint, the 33-year-old brings genuine quality to a Ghana midfield that won without him but will be better with him — he's a former Ghana Player of the Year (2018, 2019) who spent eight years at Atlético Madrid, won the 2018 Europa League, and was a consistent Premier League presence during his four seasons at Arsenal. The question of whether he should be there at all is one the football world will keep arguing while the court calendar sits frozen until 2027.
