Villarreal voice huge protests amid Thomas Partey signing and call it the darkest day in their club’s history.
Villarreal fans decry Thomas Partey’s proposed signing as club’s ‘darkest day’.
Hundreds of supporters of the Spanish team have signed a petition calling for an end to what has been called the “darkest day in the club’s history” after learning that former Arsenal player Thomas Partey is set to join Villarreal.
Partey was charged with five charges of rape against two women and one act of sexual assault against a third woman when she appeared in court in London on Tuesday. According to reports, Partey committed the alleged acts in 2021 and 2022 while he was a member of Arsenal.
The chief magistrate granted Partey conditional bail on Tuesday, acknowledging that the 32-year-old will shortly be relocating to Spain. The Ghanaian international will sign a one-year contract with a 12-month extension option with Villarreal.
Rahul Lakhani, a football journalist and La Liga expert behind the La Liga London account, said: “It’s rocked the community. I’ve had people in my social media responding quite aggressively to me, saying he’s innocent until he’s proven guilty. But the overarching reaction is that Villarreal fans don’t want their names associated with him.”