6-8-2025
Over 800 Villareal fans have signed a petition against the signing of the former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, because of rape allegations against him.
The Ghanaian international is set to join the Spanish club ahead of the new season after spending five seasons with Arsenal, but according to the fans his signing for Villarreal “darkest day in the club’s history”.
Partey appeared in court Tuesday in London, to face five counts of rape relating to two women, and a charge of sexual assault against a third woman. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in 2021 and 2022 when Partey was playing for Arsenal. Partey’s lawyer has said he denies all the charges; he was granted a conditional bail by the chief magistrate.
According to the fans the one-year contract offered Partey is a “slap in the face” to the club’s supporters and “all victims of sexual abuse worldwide”. The petition was launched by the online content hub Villarreal Report, which this week said the signing would be “an act of pure betrayal of the highest order” against the club’s supporters and Villarreal’s values. “The darkest day in the club’s history is drawing closer by the second,” it said on social media.