Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey denies rape charges in court, with trial scheduled to begin in November 2026

Ghana international Thomas Partey has pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court, with a trial date set for November 2, 2026.

The 32-year-old midfielder entered his pleas during a plea and preparation hearing on Wednesday, formally confirming his name, date of birth and his intention to contest the charges.

The former Arsenal player is accused of raping two women and sexually assaulting a third between 2021 and 2022, when he was a member of the Premier League club.

Partey is currently with Villarreal, having joined the Spanish side on a free transfer in August after leaving Arsenal.

He appeared in Tuesday night’s UEFA Champions League tie against Tottenham Hotspur, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

At the close of Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Christopher Hehir confirmed the date of the trial and explained the delay, citing the significant backlog in the crown court system.

“Your trial will take place at this court on November 2 of next year, 2026,” he told Partey. “I appreciate that is quite a long way in advance.

“As you may appreciate the crown courts have a huge backlog of work which means that trials do take a long time to come on. Because you have bail effectively you are sitting behind a queue of people in prison who are waiting to be tried.”

Partey was granted bail under the same conditions imposed at an earlier hearing. He is prohibited from contacting any of the three complainants and must inform police of any permanent change of address or international travel plans.

Partey joined Arsenal from Atlético Madrid in 2020 in a £45 million transfer after making 188 appearances for the Spanish club.