Mikel Arteta has defended Arsenal’s handling of Thomas Partey after the midfielder was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
Partey, 32, was charged on July 4 over incidents involving three different women. The alleged offences date back to incidents said to have taken place between 2021 and 2022. He denies all charges. Two counts of rape relate to one complainant, three further counts of rape to a second, while the sexual assault charge is connected to a third woman.
Partey left Arsenal when his contract expired on June 30, four days before the charges were announced. The timing is in no way connected. Despite growing pressure for the club to explain their handling of the matter, Arsenal have so far declined to comment in detail, citing ongoing legal proceedings.
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Speaking in Singapore at the start of Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Asia, Arteta was asked directly about the club’s response.
“The club was very clear in its statement,” he said. “There are a lot of legal matters that are very complicated so I cannot comment on any of that.”
He was then asked: “A lot of fans have questions over the way in which the matter was handled by the club. Do you feel confident and comfortable that the club followed all the right processes in that?”
He responded: “A hundred per cent, yes.”
Although Arsenal’s brief statement confirmed awareness of the charges, it did not address Partey’s playing status in the two years since police began their investigations.
The lack of public explanation has caused concern among fans. Faduma Hassan, a member of protest group Arsenal Supporters Against Sexual Violence, told Telegraph Sport she was “horrified and heartbroken” by the club’s handling of the matter.
Partey continued to play for Arsenal throughout the period in which the alleged offences were said to have occurred and during the police investigation. His final appearance for the club came in the last match of the 2024-25 season.
Complaints about Partey were raised with the Football Association, Arsenal and the Premier League 10 months before he was arrested by police.
No formal investigation was launched into the claims, however, because they fell outside the FA’s safeguarding remit for minors and adults “at risk” within the game.
Football’s powerlessness to pursue such complaints can be detailed after the Culture Secretary urged the game to establish “minimum standards” to “protect women”. Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, has expressed concern that clubs do not have a “standard approach” when “very, very highly paid” players face claims of sexual assault.
Partey is expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on August 5.