England gamers shake arms with rape-accused Thomas Partey as World Cup followers boo vs Ghana

On Jun 23, 2026

England players have shaken hands with Ghanaian vice-captain and former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey ahead of their World Cup clash with Ghana but fans jeered

21:03, 23 Jun 2026Updated 21:06, 23 Jun 2026

England players have shaken hands with ex-Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey ahead of their World Cup clash, after the FA decided not issue any guidance ahead of the match.

Partey has been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by the Metropolitan Police and is awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The former Arsenal midfielder is making his first appearance at the 2026 World Cup after he was denied a Canadian visa for their opening match with Panama in Toronto. Under Canadian law, foreign nationals can be denied entry ⁠even without a conviction.

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And court documents revealed that Partey’s application for a temporary resident visa, which was submitted in May, did not disclose his criminal charges.

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In his application, a question about whether he had “ever committed, been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any criminal offence in any country” was falsely answered “no”.

Partey’s lawyers sought an emergency appeal, but that was rejected by the Federal Court in Ottawa.

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FIFA said in a statement: “FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana’s team base camp…to Canada for their first match against Panama…as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government.

“FIFA is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas. As with previous FIFA events, the host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country.”

However, Partey was granted a US visa before the tournament, and such is eligible to play against England in Boston.

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Speaking ahead of the game, the Ghanaian vice-captain said: “I think for me now it’s part of football. Things happen outside football that you cannot control, but for me now I feel OK and I am ready to play.”

Partey was booed by England fans when his name was read out via the PA system ahead of kick-off.