Football
Partey pleads not guilty to additional rape charges in UK
LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) – Villarreal soccer 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 soccer 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.
($1 = 0.8548 euros)
