
Sports
Spence appears to snub Partey pre-match handshake
June 23, 2026
Source: SkySports | News · Read on source site
The FA gave no specific guidance to England's players for when they come face to face with Thomas Partey during the pre-match ceremony in Boston; All other England players apart from Spence appeared to shake hands with Partey
>Djed Spence appeared to not shake hands with Thomas Partey before England's match against Ghana.
>Not all handshakes were shown on live televised pictures, but shots have emerged on social media of the Spurs defender appearing to snub the 33-year-old.
>All other England players appeared to shake hands with Partey.
>Before the match, the FA gave no specific guidance to England's players for when they came face to face with Partey during the pre-match ceremony in Boston.
>However, the expectation was that all of England's players would follow FIFA protocols and shake hands with each of their opponents, as they did against Croatia in Dallas last week.
>Partey denies seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022, and is due to stand trial next year. He is currently playing for Villarreal in Spain.
>Sky Sports News understands that officials from the FA decided not to advise England's players about having any contact with Partey pre-match to avoid any perception they were pre-judging the criminal case.
>Partey was absent from Ghana's opening World Cup game in Toronto last week, after Canadian officials denied him entry to the country. He was available to play against England in Boston in the second game because the US has granted him a visa.