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- [00:02]
James McNicholas
The Athletic FC Podcast Network welcome to.
- [00:05]
Ayo Akimolere
The Athletic FC podcast with me, Ayo Akimolere. On Friday, June 4, news broke that former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey had been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in connection.
- [00:17]
Laura Williamson
With alleged offences between 2021 and 22 and relate to three separate women.
- [00:23]
Ayo Akimolere
There are lots of questions that remain unanswered. Police began investigations in February 2022, but Partey carried Arsenal until his contract expired on June 30. He denies all allegations and will appear in Court on August 5. For their side, Arsenal say the player's contract ended in June and they are unable to comment due to ongoing legal proceedings. We'll discuss why it took so long to get here. Was it right that Arsenal let party play on and how do fans feel about the situation? With me we have the Athletics editor in chief, Laura Williamson, and Arsenal writer James McNicholas. All right, James, let's start with Thomas Partey. Can you tell us who he is and about his time at Arsenal, please?
- [01:11]
James McNicholas
Yeah. Thomas Partey is a Ghanaian international midfield player. Arsenal signed him in 2020 from Atletico Madrid. They paid a significant sum, I think it was 50, 50 million euro buyout clause. They had to go and deposit that in one go with La Liga Central offices in order to extricate him from his Atlet contract. It was a huge signing at the time for Arsenal because central midfield was an area where historically they'd struggled and here they were buying a player in the prime of his career from a top European club, played under a great manager in Diego Simeone, and he came into the side, had a really strong impact immediately. I think if you look at the sort of breadth of his Arsenal career over the five years, they've certainly been ups and downs. He struggled with a lot of injury problems in that time and subsequently not always managed to perform at the level that might have been expected. When he has been fit. He's been a very important player for Mikel Arteta, featured on the team sheet regularly and actually last season, the season just gone, was one of his best in an Arsenal shirt and it was the final year of his contract and he performed at a high level that saw him as a first choice player really for Mikel Arteta.
- [02:20]
Ayo Akimolere
Okay, and exactly what has he been charged with?
- [02:24]
James McNicholas
Yeah, well, he has been charged as of last week with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. Those charges are across three women. There are two counts of rape involving one woman, three counts of rape involving a second and a third woman with that count of sexual assault, these all occurred allegedly between 2021 and 2022. He was arrested in July 2022 and he's been arrested again since then and bailed a number of times. His case was passed by the Metropolitan Police to the CPS and they have now made that charging decision in the same week that his contract Arsenal ended. So it's important to state that Thomas Pate denies all these charges. His lawyer says that he's cooperated fully and now welcomes the opportunity to clear his name. For their part, Arsenal have only said that they've complied so far with safeguarding and legal guidance and have not offered any statement beyond that.
- [03:26]
Ayo Akimolere
Laura, there'll be some people listening to this, thinking, why hasn't Thomas Party been named publicly until now?
- [03:35]
Laura Williamson
We can't, under, under UK law, which we're obvious obligated to follow as a UK publisher in the uk, people are entitled to their privacy until the CPS deems fit to charge them, as has happened here with Thomas Partey. So that's why we can't, we haven't been able to name him. That's why comments are off on all pieces related to this case, because we don't want to prejudice an ongoing legal case. And I know it might sound confusing, particularly if you, you're listening from, from the us, where the laws are very different, but that's, that's our position. We are unable to name him until he was charged.
- [04:12]
Ayo Akimolere
Okay, well, February 2022, the police investigation begins. July 2022, he's first arrested. It then takes a further three years to get to where we are today, a formal charge. James, we've spoken about why it probably took so long to speak about it publicly, but why has it taken so long, this entirety of this case so far?
- [04:35]
James McNicholas
I mean, that's really a question for the police and the cps. What we'd say is that obviously cases of this nature can be incredibly complex and in order for the CPS to, to press charges, to charge him, they will have had to arrive at a place where they had kind of reasonable belief that a conviction would be plausible in the situation. It may have taken them some time to collate and amass that evidence. Obviously, that's resulted in this slightly odd scenario where, you know, this has been bubbling away in the background now for quite some time with fans having, as Laura suggests, kind of different levels of awareness. Now, obviously his name is in the public domain and we're a bit freer to speak about it and speak about the, you know, the process that we've had kind of following this and covering this and some of the difficulties we've had in publishing around Thomas Partey generally. But yes, taken a long time and I'm sure that's a source of frustration to many people, you know, in the process.
- [05:42]
Ayo Akimolere
Yeah. Laura, I guess the timing of it all is something that's been questioned online by various people. I guess in the same week that his Arsenal contract expired. Is that a coincidence?
- [05:56]
Laura Williamson
I think we just have to assume it is. You know, the CPS will have been mindful of the fact his, his contract was coming to an end, but only in regard of he could go where he likes in the world. He's not tied to the uk. So that may have been a factor in the, in the decision. But obviously the CPS or Arsenal aren't commenting on the specifics of it. But I mean, I think from our point of view, it does seem an absolutely remarkable coincidence that in the week, I mean, he was still on the website, he was still on Arsenal's website as a registered player. The club said themselves that they'd been in discussions about extending that contract. So it's sort of all came to a perfect storm when he. When that statement dropped on Friday.
- [06:39]
Ayo Akimolere
Yeah. Okay, let's look at this from the Arsenal perspective. A reminder that they say he's not their player anymore and won't be commenting due to ongoing legal proceedings. Now, however, the club did look into extending his contract of Laura's just pointed out, James, that seems a little odd knowing, you know, the potential charge was going on. I'll be honest. Arsenal have been able to ship out various players. You think about Aubameyang, you can think about Mesut Ozil. A new regime is changing. They're looking at different things from players in a different setup. Why has this one been so difficult?
- [07:14]
James McNicholas
I think that really is the big question and certainly I think the idea that Arsenal were in discussions with Thomas Partey about a new contract, something which Arsenal themselves have confirmed, by the way, via their official website. Not only is it something we've established through our own reporting, but it's something they themselves have confirmed, is something a lot of supporters have struggled with. Especially now understanding the full context of the series of the situation and the seriousness of the allegations which Thomas Partey faces. Now, Arsenal obviously do have certain obligations to Thomas Partey. He's an employee of theirs to an extent. He's protected by employee law in the UK by kind of the central aspects of his contract that agreed with the PFA and Arsenal have an obligation to abide by those equally. I think on the other side of the coin, a lot of football fans may feel this is not a conventional workplace. Football is a workplace where picking a player results in huge rewards, huge public profile. Those tenets of kind of employment law are something that Arsenal have to abide by and probably feel that they had to abide by. He was a staff member of theirs, and with that he has certain rights equally. IO I think you're right to point out that football is not a conventional workplace. There are lots of situations where players part ways with clubs. You have many opportunities to do that via the transfer market, via sometimes a mutual termination, as has happened to Takeru Tomiyasu this summer. There's also the possibility that if Arsenal understood or felt that the seriousness of these allegations was bringing the club into some sort of disrepute, that they could have looked at a unilateral termination that would have brought some risk. You know, had Thomas Patey later cleared his name, they may have found themselves in a situation where they were liable. But equally persisting with playing Thomas Partey through this period has its own risk for Arsenal. It has a reputational risk. And it's something that I know in the light of these charges, many supporters feel uncomfortable with. And I do think that final element of the possible contract extension seems to have been, for many supporters, and I would count myself in this as an Arsenal fan, perhaps a bridge too far. I think, you know, a problem that you effectively inherit or something that happens to one of your current members of staff is perhaps one thing, but to actively seek to extend that relationship when there's such jeopardy attached to it, such potential reputational risk for the club, leaving aside kind of the moral, ethical element, I think that's something a lot of supporters have found difficult to understand.
- [10:10]
Laura Williamson
Yeah, I think, as James said, there's a difference here between paying and playing. I was just. It's PSG Real Madrid this evening in the club World cup semi final. I was reading a piece about Kylian Mbappe last night and about how he was put in the loft, as the French call the sort of bomb squad, when they decided they wanted him to move on from the club. Football does this all the time, and that doesn't mean that a player doesn't get paid, it means they don't play. And I sort of want to ask James again, really, like, how did you feel knowing what you knew and seeing him playing in the red of Arsenal?
- [10:52]
James McNicholas
I felt hugely compromised by that, I have to say. I mean, I'M maybe in a slightly privileged position as a journalist. I'm probably privy to aspects and information that others might not be, but certainly that presented me with difficulties during the last few years. You know, it's as simple as when that team sheet's read out. You know, we're asked to cheer the name of every single player. And I can't lie, the thought of this ongoing investigation made me feel a little uneasy, uncomfortable with that. You know, when Thomas Partey scored an important Arsenal goal, if I was there in my. If I was there in my season ticket as a supporter, did I feel fully comfortable to kind of embrace that moment? I would say no. And again, it's not to prejudge any outcome here, but it's the knowledge that there was an investigation ongoing and that, you know, the presentation of these charges, the bringing of charges, would have implications and public ramifications for Arsenal. So, yeah, it's been really difficult, I've felt, to be honest, like this has been a period in which the values of the club and the club's priorities have not aligned with my own ethics, my own personal views. And I think as fans of football clubs, we sort of, you know, we project a lot onto them and we like to think that we share sort of common ground morally and ethically. And in this instance, I don't feel like that's been the case. And that has made me feel very alienated by some of the decisions the club has taken. And, yeah, it's been a really, really uncomfortable period. I feel relieved in some respects that an agreement wasn't reached on that contract. And I even feel relieved in some respects that in this period, Arsenal haven't won something significant, because you have to look at the situation now and say, well, with a possible conviction to come, that's something that would always hang over those achievements. There'd always be that kind of asterisk against it. And I think I'd always feel that slight sense of unease. So it's been difficult. And, yeah, I've used the phrase a lot that the scales have kind of fallen from my eyes. I think I. I think maybe the. The disparity between my own values and the club's values has been laid bare. Even if from a rational legal perspective, I can understand some of the steps they took. I tend to side with sort of the viewpoint that Laura floated there, which is that perhaps legally, Arsenal were obliged to pay Thomas Pate. Were they obliged to play him? I don't think so. There are 15 players every single weekend who are not in that starting 11. Were Arsenal obliged to, you know, use his image on social media to have his shirt up in the club shop? I don't think so. I don't feel so. And again, I'm not a lawyer. Someone may correct me on that. But I feel like that's the difficulty when I say that football is not a conventional workplace. I do feel that essentially picking a player is always effectively an endorsement of that individual. You are putting your club's badge on that player's chest. And I think that with that comes this idea that there should be this alignment in values. And personally, I feel that kind of irrespective of the outcome of the trial, the seriousness of these allegations and Arsenal's awareness of them means that a different path could have been taken. I feel it was within Arsenal's power to do that. And the fact that they didn't, to me, suggests that they almost looked at it, yes, from a legal perspective, but maybe also from a football perspective, you know, and that worries me. That troubles me, the idea that Thomas Partey's talent or his ability or his value from a financial perspective informed Arsenal's course of action. If that is the case, that would concern me because I think we're talking about issues so serious and with such significant implications for others that you'd like to think other things would take precedence. We're all Arsenal fans, we want to see Arsenal win, but there are things that comes before that.
- [15:45]
Ayo Akimolere
Okay, well, unfortunately, this isn't the first time that a football club is having to address allegations such as these. Laura talked to me about some of the comparisons, I guess, and the ways in which clubs have also dealt with it as well.
- [15:58]
Laura Williamson
If you look at the precedent that Arsenal may or may not have followed, football really is making this up as it goes along. It's different in every case. You look at Benjamin Mendy at Manchester City, he kept playing for the club until the day he was charged when he was suspended, and then they stopped paying him. After a retrial, he was cleared of all charges and then subsequently took Manchester City. He was no longer their player. Took them to court and won his case to have that money paid back to him. Another example, a Premier League club with an unnamed player. We've never been able to name him. He was removed from the first team squad as soon as he was arrested in relation to child sex offences. Never played for the club again, left the club. Those charges were ultimately dropped, but there's been no follow up there. Adam Johnson at Sunderland, charged with very grave child sex offences and he played in the red and white stripes of Sunderland until a week before his trial, at which he immediately pleaded guilty. Know, there's so many examples and, you know, sadly this is only going to keep coming up and I, I feel very strongly that obviously the, the legal framework is some, is one thing, but in terms of football and men's football getting its house in order, there's a really, really serious situation here because there, there is no protocol. The FA will say we can't look at this until the criminal process has been completed. The Premier League will say it's a matter for the club. The clubs have no guidelines to follow. It's this vicious circle of just sort of inaction and indecision really. And ultimately, you know, where are the alleged victims in all of this? How are they left to feel? What's the framework for them? Where are all the alleged victims in this? What, what about them? Who's looking after them and safeguarding them?
- [17:53]
Ayo Akimolere
Yeah, I wonder if there are any learnings we can pick up from other sports, Laura, Are there any other sports that have got a framework around something so major as this?
- [18:03]
Laura Williamson
Yeah, I've been looking at the NFL's code of conduct and obviously that's different because it's a US based sport and in pure capitalist terms, if somebody leaves the NFL, there's nowhere else for them to go. So it's not a direct comparison with the Premier League in terms of if somebody was suspended without pay or asked to leave a club, you know, said they can never play in the Premier League again, then they'd go and get a perfectly decent contract in La Liga or Serie A or somewhere else. But that said, there is a very clear set of guidelines in terms of if a player is accused of something or arrested, then there's either an internal NFL disciplinary process that's followed or the criminal process is followed. And it's almost like a distilled one page of arrows of if this happens, then this happens. If this happens, then this happens. And that, that varies from being suspended without pay to suspended for six game weeks without pay, to being continued to be paid but not play, et cetera, et cetera. And I just feel that that sort of framework would at least, at least give clubs a chance to be honest, rather than just, as I say, making it up as they go along, because the precedents are so, so varied. And the other bit about the NFL guidelines is there's a very clear plan for supporting alleged victims and those who report alleged crimes and their families actually as well, and the players and I think that sort of supportive framework is, again, is another thing that Premier League football could certainly learn from.
- [19:39]
Ayo Akimolere
Yeah. I often think about situations like this and I often think about the role of football in the way it mirrors our society, often. Laura, I'm wondering if you've ever had any feedback as editor, whenever we've put pieces on someone like Thomas Partey up and what that feedback has looked like.
- [19:57]
Laura Williamson
Lots, Lots and lots. My inbox on Saturday, Sunday, and subsequently after Sarah Shepherd's, I thought, excellent piece about how she felt in terms of Arsenal's moral obligations. With all of this, my inbox has been lit up with, yes, people saying, thank you for writing this, but probably more people saying a, why haven't you got comments on this? If somebody is entitled to their opinion, then we're entitled to sort of speed back at them with ours. And the answer to that is obviously the legal framework that we're working in. But the second point is, well, he's innocent until proven guilty, so basically, why are you criticizing him or criticizing the club that he played for? And I'd probably say those responses have outweighed the supportive ones. It's incredibly divisive. And that's sort of what I say. There's no right or wrong answer here, but you can only talk about how you feel and refer to the fact that there just needs to be a much better framework for all of this, because we're all just sort of arguing and feeling what we feel in the dark, really.
- [21:05]
Ayo Akimolere
Okay, I guess the big one, James, is where do we go from here? What happens next?
- [21:11]
James McNicholas
I think, as Laura's just alluded to, it may be that the game itself needs to put sort of structures and systems in place in order to provide a framework or more clear guidelines for clubs in these situations. Obviously, moving forward, what happens is that on August 5th, Thomas Partey will appear in court and a full trial will follow. He's now a free agent. Technically, he can sign for another club, but obviously these charges provide a complication for him there. So I would imagine his football career is probably on pause until there's some sort of resolution. But I, you know, I suppose I. I hope that that's achieved relatively swiftly because this has been a process that has already drawn out for quite a long time, and for the alleged victims, I'm sure that's been incredibly difficult. So, yeah, we'll have to wait and see.
- [22:09]
Ayo Akimolere
Yeah. Thank you for your time on this one, both of you. I really appreciate it. It couldn't have been easy. We'll put some recommended reading in the bio, too, and also Sarah Shepherd's article will be in there as well. Stick with the Athletic for more on this story. We'll be back tomorrow.
- [22:27]
James McNicholas
The Athletic FC Podcast Network.