Arsenal’s head coach, Mikel Arteta, has spoken publicly for the first time about Thomas Partey’s case. The midfielder was recently charged with five counts of r@pe and one count of s€xual assault shortly after his contract with the club ended.
Arteta said Arsenal “100 percent” followed the correct steps in how it handled the situation. This came after some people criticised the club, saying they didn’t act quickly enough after complaints about Partey surfaced almost a year before he was arrested in 2022.
Thomas Partey is being accused of s€xually attacking three different women between 2021 and 2022. He was arrested in July 2022. However, reports suggest that concerns about him were already known by Arsenal, the Premier League, and the Football Association (FA) in September 2021.
Despite this, no formal investigation was started because the issue didn’t fall under the FA’s rules. These rules are designed to protect adults and minors at risk who are directly involved in the sport.
Partey officially left Arsenal last month when his contract expired. It was reported that talks about renewing his contract had already broken down before the charges became public.
Speaking before Arsenal’s pre-season tour in Asia, Arteta said the legal situation was “very complicated” and refused to comment on it directly. However, he stood firm that the club handled the matter properly.
According to ESPN, when Arteta was asked if Arsenal followed the right process, he answered, “100 per cent.”
These charges come after a long investigation by the Metropolitan Police, which lasted three years. The official charges were announced five days after Partey’s contract ended on June 30.
Partey is now without a club. He played five seasons at Arsenal in the Premier League.
The case involves five charges of r@pe — two related to one woman and three connected to another woman. There is also a single charge of s€xual assault involving a third woman.
The identities of the women have not been revealed for legal reasons. Partey is scheduled to appear in court at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on August 5.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it made the decision to charge Partey after carefully reviewing strong evidence gathered by the police.
According to Partey’s lawyer, he “denies all the charges” and “welcomes the opportunity to finally clear his name.”
The police said their investigation began in February 2022, when they received the first report of r@pe involving Partey.
