Ghanaian footballer Thomas Partey, formerly of Arsenal and now with Villarreal, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape against two women and one count of sexual assault against a third woman.
The 32-year-old midfielder entered his pleas during a brief hearing at Southwark Crown Court, speaking only to confirm his name, date of birth, and not guilty responses to each charge.
The alleged incidents occurred between April 2021 and June 2022, during Partey’s time as a regular starter for Arsenal in the Premier League. He was first arrested in July 2022 as part of an ongoing police investigation, but was not publicly named until charges were filed on July 5, just days after his Arsenal contract expired at the end of June. Partey joined Villarreal shortly after and made a substitute appearance for them in a 1-0 Champions League loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night.
Judge Christopher Hehir set the trial date for November 2, 2026, at the same court, citing a heavy backlog of cases. “As you may appreciate, the crown courts have a huge backlog of work which means that trials do take a long time to come on,” the judge explained, noting that those on bail like Partey are prioritized behind remand prisoners.
Partey was granted bail on the same conditions as before: he can continue playing football but must notify police 24 hours in advance of any international travel and is prohibited from contacting the three complainants or changing his address without approval.
The Ghana international, who has 53 caps for the Black Stars including at the 2022 World Cup, joined Arsenal from Atlético Madrid in 2020 for around £45 million and made 167 appearances before his departure.
