Thomas Partey, formerly of Arsenal, now (controversially) a Villarreal player, is the latest high-profile football star to face serious criminal allegations, drawing his club into questions about its values and reputation.
Mason Greenwood (formerly Manchester United), Benjamin Mendy (formerly Manchester City) and an unnamed Everton player are other similar cases that highlight the tensions between criminal investigations, reputation management, privacy and employment rights and performance on the pitch.
Presumption of innocence and reputational risk
These cases each highlight the difficult balance between upholding the presumption of innocence and managing reputational fallout.
In 2021, an unnamed Everton player was arrested on suspicion of child sex offences. He was suspended and later left the club when his contract expired. After a two-year investigation, no charges were brought – yet his identity, though never officially disclosed, became widely known online.
Benjamin Mendy was charged with rape and sexual assault in 2021. He was suspended without pay and released by Manchester City following the expiry of his contract but was found not guilty of all charges after two trials. He won an Employment Tribunal claim against the club for unpaid wages and was awarded a significant portion of his £11million claim.
Mason Greenwood was arrested in 2022 on suspicion of rape and other offences after his girlfriend uploaded a series of social media posts showing apparent injuries she had suffered. He was suspended by Manchester United, and police charges were later dropped. Following an internal investigation, the club announced a mutual decision for him to leave the club.
Thomas Partey was charged with rape and sexual assault in July 2025 for alleged offending in 2021 and 2022. In contrast to the examples above, Arsenal decided against suspending him. The club has defended its handling of the matter, but critics argue that allowing this key player to play throughout the investigation has damaged its reputation.
In each of the other cases, the clubs’ decided they were entitled to suspend the player before charges or convictions occurred and prioritised reputational risk.
The reputational risk involved doesn’t stop at the player’s current club either. The clubs that Benjamin Mendy and Mason Greenwood each joined after leaving England faced protests against their transfers. News that Partey has joined Villarreal has also been met with outcry in Spain with hundreds of fans of the Spanish club signing a petition urging the club to halt the transfer and describing the decision to sign him as the “darkest day in the club’s history”. In a statement defending the decision to sign the player, the club said it “respects the fundamental principle of the presumption of innocence”.
Privacy and media pressure
The media’s role, both traditional and social, adds further complexity. The UK Supreme Court has ruled that individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy when subject to a police investigation up to the point of being charged with an offence. This is an obligation that can bind the police, the media and the football club, but can still prove very difficult to enforce.
The Everton player was never charged and never publicly named, but his identity became an open secret because of his absence from matches. Similarly, in Partey’s case, partial details – such as his age and location – were widely reported, making his identity easily deductible long before he was formally charged.
While media reporting must still be managed carefully to ensure that confidentiality is maintained and grounds for privacy or defamation claims do not arise, the reality is that anonymity is increasingly difficult to maintain because social media platforms and users often disregard privacy laws creating public exposure regardless of legal protections.
Employer obligations and internal investigations
Employers owe a duty of care to their employees, but are also required to act reasonably and lawfully in response to allegations of serious misconduct. The fact of a criminal investigation may not automatically justify dismissal or suspension, but reputational concerns and internal disciplinary thresholds often drive action.
Benjamin Mendy’s successful employment claim against Manchester City for unpaid wages demonstrates that there is legal risk for the approach taken by the club.
Manchester United’s internal investigation of the Greenwood matter took into account “the wishes, rights and perspective of the alleged victim along with the club’s standards and values” in deciding he should leave the club. The fact that the allegations were initially made public via social media increased the pressure on the club for decisive action.
Conversely, Arsenal’s decision to continue playing Partey during the investigation reflected a different interpretation of due process and risk management with the club perhaps deciding that there were insufficient grounds to suspend the player without formal charges being brought against him.
Any suspension or disciplinary action must be rooted in a clear and transparent process with employers acting proportionately and fairly on a case-by-case basis (typically in accordance with internal policies and procedures and/or any contractual obligations which may fall on the employer), even in the context of serious allegations and significant reputational risk.
Lessons and co-ordination
These high-profile cases demonstrate the complexity of navigating overlapping legal duties. Clubs face difficult decisions and each route available carries legal and reputational risk. Navigating these situations requires coordination across multiple areas of law: crime, reputation, privacy and employment.
There is no one size fits all approach to handling serious allegations in the public eye. Clubs – and employers more broadly – must act carefully, and lawfully, ensuring they uphold internal standards and broader legal responsibilities.
For further information, please contact Dominic Crossley, Jamie Hurworth, Domonique McRae by email or alternatively call on 020 7465 4300
