مدير عام كرة القدم
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- Shocking online abuse disclosed by women
- Arsenal first learned of allegations in September 2021
- Club’s response criticised by women and campaign groups
Partey was last week charged with five counts of rape and one of sexual assault, almost four years after Arsenal were first informed of allegations against the midfielder. Partey, who left Arsenal four days before being charged after his contract expired, denies all the charges. His defence lawyer has said in a statement that the player welcomed “the opportunity to finally clear his name.”
The charges came about from allegations from three women. And one of the alleged victims told The Athletic that she would receive horrific online abuse every time when Partey played for Arsenal, particularly when he scored. Sometimes the comments were directly aimed at her while other times she saw general derogatory comments about Partey’s accusers.
One of the women said: “I would frequently get messages from fans. They’d send me pictures of him playing or scoring… I would get death threats, rape threats, people saying they’d set me on fire. If he scored, for example, the abuse would be worse.”
Although Arsenal would likely have faced legal challenges had they chosen to suspend Partey, the club have received huge criticism for continuing to play him after being told of the allegations by one victim in September 2021 and following his first arrest in July 2022. Arsenal Supporters Against Sexual Violence said they were “devastated and ashamed that our beloved club has ignored, failed and silenced survivors.” The report by The Athletic also claims Arsenal were aware that the Crown Prosecution Service was considering charging Partey when they entered into discussions with the player about a new contract.n
Partey has been summoned to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on August 5. The midfielder got married in Spain the day after the charges were announced.
