Information that the previous Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is poised to hitch Villarreal has upset followers of the membership, with a whole lot signing a petition urging a halt to what has been described because the “darkest day within the membership's historical past”.
Partey appeared in a London court docket on Tuesday, charged with 5 counts of rape relating to 2 ladies, and a cost of sexual assault in opposition to a 3rd girl. The alleged offences are mentioned to have taken place in 2021 and 2022 when Partey was enjoying for Arsenal. Partey's lawyer has mentioned he denies all the fees.
Partey was granted conditional bail on Tuesday and the chief Justice of the Peace mentioned he understood that the 32-year-old would quickly be shifting to Spain. Villarreal have agreed to signal the Ghana worldwide on a one-year contract with an choice to increase by 12 months.
Rahul Lakhani, a soccer journalist and a La Liga professional behind the La Liga London account, mentioned: “It's rocked the neighborhood. I've had folks in my social media responding fairly aggressively to me, saying he's harmless till he's confirmed responsible. However the overarching response is that Villarreal followers don't need their names related to him.”
Scores of followers have voiced their opposition to the transfer on social media, utilizing a hashtag that interprets as No to Thomas Partey. Others have handed round contact particulars for the membership's official channels, urging folks to complain.
As Arsenal gear as much as host Villarreal in a pleasant on Wednesday, Lakhani described Partey's potential signing as a stain on Villarreal, a membership deeply intertwined with its dwelling city of fifty,000. “They're seen as somebody who isn't like Actual Madrid or Barcelona or the Large Six,” he mentioned. “They're the antithesis of that. They're a membership that has helped their neighborhood loads, they're seen as a family-run membership.”
Partey's arrival would in all probability alter this picture, Lakhani mentioned. “Their title is now going to be related to eager to signal somebody who has 5 [rape] prices over his head, fairly than being generally known as a membership that performs good soccer or punches above their weight.”
Greater than 800 folks have signed a petition that describes the transfer as a “slap within the face” to the membership's supporters and “all victims of sexual abuse worldwide”. The petition was launched by the net content material hub Villarreal Report, which this week mentioned the signing can be “an act of pure betrayal of the best order” in opposition to the membership's supporters and Villarreal's values. “The darkest day within the membership's historical past is drawing nearer by the second,” it mentioned on social media.
Villarreal didn't reply to a request for remark.
As Partey's contract with Arsenal neared its expiry date, the membership confirmed they had been in talks over a brand new contract. After they did not agree a brand new deal, it emerged that Partey, who has performed for Atlético Madrid, Mallorca and Almería, was heading to Spain. He was charged not lengthy after he left Arsenal, after an investigation that started in 2022.
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Partey's lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, has beforehand mentioned he “denies all the fees in opposition to him” and that he welcomed “the chance to lastly clear his title”.
Some Villarreal followers have embraced the possible signing, hinting on the deep divisions sown by Partey's anticipated arrival. “It's a prime signing, it's nice for the workforce,” mentioned Borja Jiménez Ortega, who heads the L'Os Groc supporters' membership in Madrid. “I've a number of confidence within the membership.” The view was broadly shared among the many 60 members of his followers group, he mentioned. “There's simply two or three who don't need him.”
Others pointed to the broader message. “I'm in opposition to this signing,” mentioned César Márquez Trabado, the president of the supporters' membership Peña Amarilla Villafranca de los Barros. “It's true he would slot in very nicely at Villarreal as a result of he's a participant of great high quality, however I consider there are moral limits that shouldn't be crossed, even when the participant has not been convicted of the fees in opposition to him.”
It was a view shared by many, he mentioned. “I might say that 90% of followers are in opposition to this. As a result of in the long run, the workforce might enhance within the quick time period. However in the long run, this can do a number of injury to our picture.”
