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Former Arsenal player Thomas Partey will reportedly appear as an official Premier League trading card this season - despite being unemployed and accused of rape.
Partey's inclusion in the cards manufactured by Topps was approved by Arsenal earlier this season despite the fact they knew he was under investigation, as per The Athletic.
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.
Thomas Partey will reportedly feature on the official Premier League trading cards for 2025-26
He was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault earlier this month
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.
As The Athletic reports, Arsenal were content to approve 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 four who remains in the collection, for which production, packaging, and ditribution has already started.
Partey spent five seasons at the Emirates but is now unemployed.
Two counts of rape relate to one woman and three counts of rape relate to a second woman.
The one count of sexual assault relates to a third woman. None of the alleged victims can be named.
The Crown Prosecution Service has said the charges came after it 'carefully reviewed a comprehensive file of evidence'.
Partey 'denies all the charges against him' and 'welcomes the opportunity to finally clear his name', his lawyer said in early July.
Arsenal signed off on him being included in the collection, but this was before he was charged
The Metropolitan Police said the investigation into Thomas Partey began in February 2022 after officers first received a report of rape.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
He played more than 50 games for Arsenal while on bail, it has emerged.
In a statement, his lawyer Jenny Wiltshire, of Hickman and Rose, said: 'Thomas Partey denies all the charges against him.
'He has fully cooperated with the police and CPS throughout their three-year investigation.
'He now welcomes the opportunity to finally clear his name.
'Given that there are now ongoing legal proceedings, my client is unable to comment further.'
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, whose team is leading the investigation, said: 'Our priority remains providing support to the women who have come forward.
'We would ask anyone who has been impacted by this case, or anyone who has information, to speak with our team. You can contact detectives about this investigation by emailing [email protected]'
