Thomas Partey, the footballer accused of rape, will feature on the Premier League’s official trading cards when they are released next month — after Arsenal rubber-stamped his inclusion.
Topps, an American company that produces trading cards and other collectibles, announced a deal with the Premier League earlier this year that will see them manufacture the cards.
Arsenal confirmed they were in talks with Partey over a new contract as recently as last month, only for the midfielder to leave at the end of his deal after new terms could not be agreed.
Four days after Partey left the club he was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The 32-year-old denies the allegations and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on August 5.
Topps confirmed to The Athletic that players are initially selected based on a number of objective factors, such as the number of minutes a player played in the previous season, how long they have been at the club, and whether they are an international player. The player selection for the 25-26 collection was finalised in May, with all player lists approved by Premier League clubs at that time.
The list approved by Arsenal included Partey, despite an ongoing police investigation of which the club were aware, and the fact that he would become a free agent in the summer if a new contract with Arsenal couldn’t be agreed.
Of the 60+ players previously entering free agency this summer, only four — Partey, Nelson Semedo (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Josh Brownhill (Burnley) and Tariq Lamptey (Brighton & Hove Albion) — were included by their respective teams.
After Premier League clubs submitted their final list to Topps, the trading cards almost immediately got put into production and are then randomly placed into packs and distributed to retailers.
This means there is no way of knowing where the Partey cards are, so nothing can be done to prevent his card from hitting the shelves next month.
Arsenal and the Premier League have been approached for comment.
(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
