Thomas Partey could line up against England in Boston on Tuesday, facing former Arsenal teammates Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka while fighting rape and sexual assault charges. The Ghana midfielder has been charged with five counts of rape and one of sexual assault, later two further counts of rape. He denies all allegations, with his lawyer insisting he welcomes the chance to clear his name. A trial is scheduled next year at Southwark crown court.
The Football Association has left England’s players to decide whether to shake hands with Partey in the pre-match ceremony. The Ghanaian missed his side’s opening World Cup game against Panama because Canadian officials refused him entry to Toronto, but the US has granted him a visa for Boston. Ghana’s head coach, Carlos Queiroz, maintains Partey should be regarded as innocent until proven guilty. “Let events run their normal course, let the river flow and one day, when the river meets the ocean, we will find the truth,” he said.
“Thomas Partey faces England amid rape charges as FA leaves handshake decision to players.”
England’s preparations have been boosted by Bukayo Saka training with the squad on Sunday after nursing an Achilles tendinitis issue. The Arsenal attacker did individual work on Saturday but took part fully in the penultimate session before Tuesday’s match. Saka started on the bench in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia, and Thomas Tuchel has said he is unlikely to start until the third group game against Panama. Saka’s ongoing Achilles issue has not deteriorated since Arsenal won their first Premier League title in 22 years.
Trevoh Chalobah, meanwhile, described his late call-up as his “number one” career highlight. The Chelsea defender was holidaying in New York when Tuchel texted: “Hi, Trevoh, are you free for a call?” He flew to Kansas City while the rest of the squad went to Dallas, but a behind-closed-doors game was arranged to help him gain match sharpness. Chalobah had given away his boots at the end of the season and had to speed up delivery from sponsor Reebok. Tuchel gave him his debut for Chelsea in 2021 and for England against Senegal in June 2025, and even tried to sign him for Bayern Munich. “We’ve always had that special relationship,” Chalobah said.