Furious Villarreal fans sign petition to stop the Spanish club signing Thomas Partey amid his rape case

Hundreds of Villarreal supporters have signed a petition in a last-ditch attempt to stop the Spanish club from signing former Arsenal star Thomas Partey 

The Ghanaian midfielder is closing in on a move to the Spanish outfit after being granted bail while facing charges of raping two women, with the LaLiga side set to face off against his former club on Wednesday night.

The 32-year-old, who was charged four days after the expiration of his contract at the north London club in June, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to face five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

He is accused of two counts of rape against one woman and three counts against another. The sexual assault allegation relates to a third woman, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.

The court heard that Partey allegedly raped one of the women three times at his home in Hertfordshire. He is also accused of attacking one of the women at a resort in Spain. The midfielder was granted conditional bail and will appear at Crown Court on September 2.

Partey’s first appearance in court came after news broke that he was on the verge of joining the Yellow Submarine.

A petition, titled Say NO to Thomas Partey at Villarreal, has been started online and has over 800 signatures at the time of writing.

The description reads: ‘recently, reports have surfaced that Villarreal CF are close to signing the footballer Thomas Partey, a player who is currently facing criminal charges on five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. 

‘A player accused and charged of such heinous crimes must not have any relation to a club like Villarreal, which prides itself on values such as family spirit and community. 

‘Villarreal’s signing of Thomas Partey would be a slap in the face not only to the club’s supporters, who would see their names connected to and forced to support an alleged abuser through no fault of their own, but also to all victims of sexual abuse worldwide, who would see yet another case of these serious allegations being brushed aside due to greed and status.

‘We must act now and make our voices be heard before the signing, pending a court hearing on Tuesday, is made official.’

The petition is starting to gain more traction on social media with accounts sharing it on platforms such as X and Facebook.