England players have shaken hands with Ghanaian vice-captain and former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey ahead of their World Cup clash with Ghana but fans jeered
Djed Spence was the only England player not to issue a handshake with ex-Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey ahead of their World Cup clash with Ghana, after the FA decided not to issue any guidance ahead of the match.
Partey has been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by the Metropolitan Police and is awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The 33-year-old was booed by England fans when his name was read out via the PA system ahead of kick-off. And the jeering continued as the Three Lions players all shook his hand, with the exception of Tottenham fullback Spence. Now Villarreal midfielder Partey is making his first appearance at the 2026 World Cup after he was denied a Canadian visa for their opening match with Panama in Toronto.
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Under Canadian law, foreign nationals can be denied entry even without a conviction. And court documents revealed Partey’s application for a temporary resident visa, which was submitted in May, did not disclose his criminal charges.
In his application, a question about whether he had “ever committed, been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any criminal offence in any country” was falsely answered "no".
Partey’s lawyers sought an emergency appeal, but that was rejected by the Federal Court in Ottawa.
FIFA said in a statement: “FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana’s team base camp...to Canada for their first match against Panama...as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government.
“FIFA is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas. As with previous FIFA events, the host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country.”
However, Partey was granted a US visa before the tournament, and such is eligible to play against England in Boston.
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Speaking ahead of the game, the Ghanaian vice-captain said: "I think for me now it’s part of football.
"Things happen outside football that you cannot control, but for me now I feel OK and I am ready to play.”
The first half was uneventful, with little in the way of goalmouth action at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Thomas Tuchel's side had no shots on target and didn't create any big chances.