Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey is set to make his next court appearance on September 15, after his scheduled hearing at the Old Bailey this week was abruptly postponed. The adjournment comes just days before his Villarreal side faces Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League, a clash expected to draw a charged atmosphere given the backdrop of his legal troubles.
Partey, formerly of Arsenal, had been due to stand before the court on Tuesday, but the case was delayed without explanation, Telegraph reported. The shift in dates also allows him to travel with Ghana for their World Cup qualifier against Chad on Thursday, before returning to club duty in Spain.
The Tottenham fixture on September 16 will mark Partey’s first game on English soil since being formally charged with rape. He previously appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court last month, where he was permitted to continue his career in Spain while awaiting trial.
The midfielder faces five counts of rape involving two women, along with a separate accusation of sexual assault from a third woman. According to prosecutors, six of the allegations involve anal rape, with one charge described as a “multi-incident allegation” spanning April to June 2021 and said to have occurred on at least four occasions.
Partey was initially questioned about the first complaint in July 2022, before later attending a voluntary interview in November 2024 regarding a second allegation. Three of the charges relate to another woman, the first in December 2021, when she reportedly told him she did not consent to sex. A further allegation of rape is said to have taken place in June 2022.
The separate sexual assault charge involves a third complainant, who told the court she was attacked in February 2022 when Partey allegedly “lied on top of her, tried to kiss her and touched her all over her body over clothing without her consent.”
His move to Villarreal earlier this summer drew protests from sections of the fan base, though he has since made three appearances off the bench in La Liga. Partey’s Arsenal contract expired in June, with charges announced just four days after his exit from the Premier League club.
