Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is included in the Ghana squad to face Wales in Cardiff on Tuesday, despite facing seven rape charges which he denies.
Thomas Partey could feature against England at the World Cup (Image: Dennis Agyeman/Getty Images)
Manager Carlos Queiroz has defended his decision to include Thomas Partey in Ghana’s squad to face Wales on Tuesday.
The former Arsenal midfielder, who currently plays for Spanish side Villarreal, has been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in London between 2020 and 2022. The party denies all charges and a trial is scheduled for November this year, but the trial could be postponed until 2027.
Ghana manager Queiroz has named Partey in his provisional 28-man squad for the World Cup, with the 32-year-old potentially playing in England for Cardiff for the first time since playing last September.
“It’s a simple and basic answer,” Queiroz, 73, said of his decision to choose Partey for Wales’ friendly. “As far as I am concerned, we live in a world where the presumption of innocence is on our side in every case until the court, whether it be in England or Portugal or whatever, makes a decision.
“But today, and this is not just Thomas’ story. Very unfortunately, by social media and the media acting with complete and utter impunity at times, we are condemned before we have a chance to defend ourselves. So let events follow this normal course of events. Let the river flow, and one day when the river joins the sea, we will find the truth.”
Ghana, which also features Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo, Coventry striker Brandon Thomas-Asante and Leicester attacker Jordan Ayew, are in the same World Cup group as England.
The match marks the 150th anniversary of Football of Wales and will be the first time the Dragons have faced an African side at home. Ghana were open to playing the English side before facing Thomas Tuchel’s side in Boston on June 23.
Thomas Partey could go on trial in November (Image: Toby Shepherd / AFP via Getty Images)
“It’s an honor for us to come here and play against the Welsh national team,” said Queiroz, a former assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United who managed Iran at the last World Cup and will be in charge of Ghana for the first time since taking over in April.
“For us, this is important because it is part of our preparation for the World Cup. Everything is going according to our goals and we are ready to take off and go to the World Cup.”
“We know from experience that if you play good football you have a good chance of winning. So this is what we want to do against Wales and we want to express ourselves in this game.”
