Spence Appears to Snub Partey Handshake at World Cup
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- Djed Spence appeared not to shake hands with Thomas Partey before England's World Cup group-stage match against Ghana in Boston, according to social media footage.
- Thomas Partey was booed by England fans as he made his first appearance at this year's World Cup, after missing Ghana's 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto.
- Partey was denied entry into Canada after telling officials he had never been arrested or charged with a crime, forcing him to sit out that opening match.
- Partey has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault involving four women between 2020 and 2022, with trial scheduled for next year.
- The FA did not discuss the pre-match handshake protocol with players before the match, according to BBC Sport.
- US Customs and Border Protection stated that Partey "has not been convicted of a crime and was admitted to the United States after being issued a visa."
Why it matters: Partey's legal situation — seven rape charges and one sexual assault charge that he denies — now follows him across borders and into the stadium, shaping both his visa treatment and crowd reception. The FA's decision not to brief players on the traditional pre-match handshake leaves individual players to navigate a moral calculation that governing bodies have so far declined to standardize.
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