Hundreds of Villarreeal supporters have expressed their opposition against the upcoming signing of Thomas Pedey by signing a petition to stop the transfer.
The former Arsenal -midfielder comes after a switch to the Spanish outfit after having received a bail while they are confronted with accusations of raping two women, with the LaLiga side against his former club on Wednesday evening.
The 32-year-old, who was charged in June four days after the expiry of his contract in the Noord-London club, appeared on Tuesday at Westminster Magistrates' Court to experience five counts of rape and one count of sexual attack.
He is accused of two counts of rape against one woman and three counts against the other. The accusation of sexual violence relates to a third woman, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.
The court heard that Parey reportedly raped one of the women three times in his house in Hertfordshire. He is also accused of attacking one of the women in a resort in Spain. The midfielder received conditional bail and appears on 2 September at Crown Court.
The first performance of Pitey came to court after the news broke out that he was about to join the yellow submarine, his conditional bail that now released the path for the midfielder to complete his move.
However, some fans make a final attempt to stop the movement.
A petition, entitled Say No against Thomas Partey in Villarreal, started online and has more than 800 signatures at the time of writing.
The description is: 'Recently reports have emerged that Villarreal CF close to the signing of footballer Thomas Partey, a player who is currently confronted with criminal prosecution on five counts of rape and one count of sexual attack.
'A player who is accused and accused of such horrible crimes may not have a relationship with a club such as Villarreal, who is proud of values such as family spirit and community.
'Villarreal's signing of Thomas Partey would be a blow in the face, not only for the supporters of the club, who would see their names connected and are forced to support an alleged abuser through no debt, but also to all victims of sexual abuse worldwide, who would see another case of these serious accusations.
“We must now act and show our voice before the signing, awaiting a hearing on Tuesday, is officially made.”
The petition starts to get more grip on social media with accounts that share it on platforms such as X and Facebook.
The Bail Conditions of Parey state that he can not include none of the three women and the police must inform about permanent changes to the address or international travel.
Public Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward, KC, said: “He is accused of six sexual offenses, five rape, one of sexual violence. He was first arrested with regard to two of the charges on July 4, 2022 and was investigated on 2 August 2023.
'He has attended three voluntary interviews over the past three years. On July 4, 2025, a post request was sent that today required his presence for a first performance.
“Five of the offenses, the charges of rape, are unlawful offenses and the only possibility for this court is to send them to the Kroonhof.”
At the accusation of sexual violence, she said: 'The complainant attended Mr. Pareny's address and he has sexually abused her by lying on her, trying to kiss her and touch her over her body about clothing without permission.
“She tried to push him and after a few minutes he stopped.”
Protesters held up a sign with criticizing the alleged treatment of the case by Arsenal when he arrived at the court. It said: “Arsenal said,” We're doing the right one. ” Then it did nothing. '
The alleged violations took place between 2021 and 2022. The Metropolitan Police said that it first received reports of a statement of rape in February 2022.
The CPS said the charges came after it “carefully revised an extensive evidence file” during an extensive three -year -old probe.
“Thomas Peny denies all charges to him,” said his lawyer Jenny Wiltshire. During their three -year investigation, he collaborated fully with the police and CPS. He now welcomes the chance to finally erase his name. Since there are now a continuous legal proceedings, my client cannot comment further. '
Pareny came to Arsenal of Atletico Madrid in 2020 in a deal with a value of around £ 45 million. He made 35 performances in the Premier League last season and scored four goals.
Arsenal was previously in conversation about expanding Pedey's contract, but an agreement could not be reached, as a result of which he left as a free agent. Head coach Mikel Arteta had described him as a 'really important player for us'.
During the pre-season tour of Arsenal in the Far East, after Pedey was charged, Arteta said that he was '100 percent' comfortable with how the club dealt with the business.
The Arsenal supporters against sexual violence group, however, gathered outside the court of Westminster Magistrates to protest against the alleged actions of the club.
“Although we acknowledge that all individuals are supposed to be innocent until we have been guilty, we would find every scenario in which a club would constantly select and promote a player for sexual offenses that was in -depth about sexual offenses,” the group said earlier. This would give the suggestion that success on the field outweighs the respect for victims of sexual violence. '
A spokesperson for Arsenal said earlier: 'The player's contract ended on 30 June. Due to current legal proceedings, the club cannot comment on the case. “