Why Partey will still appear on Premier League trading cards for 2025/26 season despite rape charges
Former Arsenal player Thomas Partey will appear as an official Premier League trading card this season – despite being unemployed and accused of rape.
Earlier this month, Partey was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. That was after Arsenal had given the green light for his inclusion.
The 32-year-old is accused of attacking three women between 2021 and 2022. His charges followed a three-year investigation by Scotland Yard and they arrived just five days after he left Arsenal on June 30.
He denies the allegations and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on August 5.
The player list for the next season of Topps cards was finalised in May, when Arsenal were still negotiating over a potential new contract with Partey.
In the first instance, players are selected based on factors including the minutes they played last campaign, their duration at the club, and whether they play international football.
Arsenal approved Partey as part of their list of stars despite not knowing whether he would be at the club.
More than 60 players were released by their clubs and Partey is just one of three who remains in the collection, for which production, packaging, and distribution has already started.
