Thomas Partey asked about Djed Spence appearing to snub handshake before England game

Thomas Partey was asked about Djed Spence appearing to refuse to shake his hand before Ghana's 0-0 World Cup draw with England in the post-match mixed zone.

Former Arsenal midfielder Partey, who now plays for La Liga side Villarreal, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by the Metropolitan Police in July 2025. In February of this year, he was charged with two new counts of rape.

Partey has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and has always denied wrongdoing. He is scheduled to stand trial in June 2027.

The 33-year-old started Ghana's 0-0 draw with England in Boston on Tuesday, having been denied entry to Canada for the Black Stars' opening Group L fixture against Panama last week.

All the other England players appeared to shake the midfielder's hand apart from Spence, who declined to do so.

Djed Spence appeared to turn down a handshake with Thomas Partey ahead of England v Ghana at the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/Hjyovc7xvm

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 23, 2026

In his post-match press conference, England manager Thomas Tuchel was asked about Spence's decision by Daily Mail reporter Mike Keegan, but an FA official intervened to state that Tuchel could not comment on the matter for legal reasons.

Ghana captain Jordan Ayew, meanwhile, was also pressed on the same topic, with the Leicester forward - who will be a free agent from June 30 - deciding to walk away rather than address it.

And centre-back Jerome Opoku replied 'no comment' when asked about the matter, adding: "I didn't really see it."

Partey was also asked about Spence's handshake snub by a BBC journalist when he walked past the mixed zone after full-time.

The midfielder initially walked past the reporter without answering the question, before he turned around to engage in a brief conversation with another journalist that was in the mixed zone.

He then looked back towards the BBC reporter for a number of seconds but, when the question was repeated, did not provide an answer.

Thomas Partey was asked in the mixed zone about Djed Spence appearing to refuse his handshake. pic.twitter.com/lKWLltdU3A

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 24, 2026

Footage of the handshake snub only appeared on social media, with on-site cameras having cut away from the pre-match greetings to display the team starting XI graphics.

READ MORE: BBC address Thomas Partey handshake cut as Djed Spence snubs Ghana midfielder

Why Partey was playing in his first game of World Cup vs England

As mentioned above, the 0-0 draw in Boston was Partey's first involvement at this year's World Cup after Canadian officials blocked him from entering their country for Ghana's 1-0 win over Panama.

FIFA had no involvement in the decision, which was made solely by the Canadian government.

Partey appealed against the decision but a Canadian judge rejected it.

The ruling said there was 'no serious issue in the underlying refusal' and that the applicant had 'failed to disclose that he is the subject of multiple criminal charges for sexual violence in the UK'.

In an affidavit filed with the court, the midfielder had stated that he would remain under the supervision of team officials if allowed to enter Canada, and claimed his absence would 'materially affect' Ghana's ability to play in the World Cup.

Court documents showed that in Partey's initial application, it was claimed that he had not been charged with any criminal charges in any country. It is unknown whether Partey himself or a team official filled the application in.

Immigration officials had written to Partey to inform him that his visa application could be impacted by legislation covering misrepresentation, as per BBC Sport.

Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz said: "If the player is here with me, my answer is clear. I don't have any comments about my own decisions.

"He is here, so what are we talking about? This is not for me or you to make a judgment about. Let events run their normal course: let the river flow, and one day, when the river meets the ocean, we are going to find the truth."