England will let their players decide whether to shake hands with rape charge Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey.
The Three Lions are set to come face to face with the former Arsenal man, who denies a series of allegations, in Boston on Tuesday.
However, they will be left to make their own verdict on whether to carry out the customary pre-match gesture with the 33-year-old, Daily Mail Sport understands, with the FA keen to keep the focus on football.
Partey is in line to make his World Cup debut on Tuesday after he was banned from entering Canada ahead of his country’s first match against Panama.
Officials there turned down an appeal at a hearing where it emerged that details of the charges had not been declared in his application for a visa.
Partey is in line to make his World Cup debut against England after he was banned from entering Canada ahead of his country’s first match against Panama
The former Arsenal midfielder is due to stand trial for rape on June 7 2027 at Southwark Crown Court
The FA will leave it to England internationals’ discretion whether to shake Partey’s hand
The situation may be tricky for the likes of Declan Rice (pictured alongside Partey) and Bukayo Saka, who both played alongside Partey for the Gunners
Partey is due to stand trial in London on seven counts of rape and one of sexual assault. A start date of June 7 next year has been pencilled in at Southwark Crown Court.
The pre-match handshake is now a part of activities ahead of kick-off, and while the FA are aware of the background, they will not get involved.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel has previously declined to engage in political issues and has insisted that his entire focus will be on football. That has been the message throughout the tournament so far and will not change, according to insiders.
As such, there are not thought to have been any talks with the squad over the Partey situation. Instead, players will be left to decide for themselves whether they wish to shake hands with the 33-year-old, who now plays for Villarreal in Spain.
The situation may be tricky for the likes of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, who both played alongside Partey for the Gunners.
Despite an initial arrest in July 2022, Partey continued to represent Arsenal until his contract expired at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Both Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke signed for the club after his departure.
