Football player Partey pleads not guilty to additional rape charges in UK

He has previously denied five counts of rape relating to two women

Ghana national team and Villarreal midfielder Thomas Partey, who is facing two additional counts of rape and has pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, leaves the Southwark Crown Court in London, Britain, Apr 13, 2026. REUTERS

Villarreal football player Thomas Partey appeared in a London court on Monday where he pleaded not guilty to two additional charges of rape.

Partey, a Ghana international, has previously denied five counts of rape relating to two women, plus a charge of sexual assault against a third woman, between 2021 and 2022.

The 32-year-old midfielder was subsequently charged with two further offences of rape relating to a fourth complainant in December 2020, to which he pleaded not guilty at Southwark Crown Court.

The alleged offences took place when Partey played for Premier League football club Arsenal. He left the club last summer and signed for Spain's Villarreal.

Partey was released on bail ahead of his trial, which was due to start in November but could be delayed.

Partey was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($58.49 million) in 2020 and became a key member of the English side's first team, before his contract expired at the end of June.