Thursday, August 7, 2025 - Hundreds of Villarreal supporters have signed a petition in a last-ditch attempt to stop the Spanish club from signing former Arsenal star Thomas Partey
The Ghanaian midfielder is closing in on a move to the
Spanish outfit after being granted bail while facing charges of r@ping two
women, with the LaLiga side set to face off against his former club
on Wednesday night.
The 32-year-old, who was charged four days after the
expiration of his contract at the north London club in June, appeared at
Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday to face five counts of r@pe and one
count of s£xual ass@ult.
He is accused of two counts of r@pe against one woman and
three counts against another. The s£xual ass@ult allegation relates to a third
woman, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.
The court heard that Partey allegedly r@ped one of the women
three times at his home in Hertfordshire. He is also accused of attacking one
of the women at a resort in Spain. The midfielder was granted conditional bail
and will appear at Crown Court on September 2.
Partey's first appearance in court came after news broke
that he was on the verge of joining the Yellow Submarine.
A petition, titled Say NO to Thomas Partey at Villarreal,
has been started online and has over 800 signatures at the time of writing.
The description reads: 'recently, reports have surfaced that
Villarreal CF are close to signing the footballer Thomas Partey, a player who
is currently facing criminal charges on five counts of rape and one count of
sexual assault.
'A player accused and charged of such heinous crimes must
not have any relation to a club like Villarreal, which prides itself on values
such as family spirit and community.
'Villarreal's signing of Thomas Partey would be a slap in
the face not only to the club's supporters, who would see their names connected
to and forced to support an alleged abuser through no fault of their own, but
also to all victims of sexual abuse worldwide, who would see yet another case
of these serious allegations being brushed aside due to greed and status.
'We must act now and make our voices be heard before the
signing, pending a court hearing on Tuesday, is made official.'
The petition is starting to gain more traction on social
media with accounts sharing it on platforms such as X and Facebook.
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