Ghana’s head coach, Carlos Queiroz, offered a passionate defence of Thomas Partey after the Villarreal midfielder was repeatedly booed by the Welsh crowd during Tuesday night’s 1-1 friendly tie at Cardiff City Stadium.
Every time Partey touched the ball, most of the home crowd made fun of him. Partey is on trial in London on eight charges of serious sexual offences, to which he has entered a not guilty plea.
His first touch of the game sparked the animosity, which persisted throughout his 45 minutes on the pitch before he was substituted at halftime.
At a news conference, Queiroz was asked about his player’s treatment following the game, and he expressed his annoyance.
The Portuguese trainer remarked, “I’m not surprised. We live in a weird world, I’m never tired of saying it. You should be concerned with how this modern world works, where anyone can say or do whatever they want with total impunity.”
Queiroz made a compelling case that Partey shouldn’t be found guilty until the court case is over.
“Nobody should be judged or condemned before a court makes a decision. The presumption of innocence must apply to everyone, starting with you, the press. But you publish things before the court. That’s your problem. You are responsible for creating this culture of impunity.”
The Ghanaian coach expressed his contempt for what he called the current media and social media environment, where people are tried in the court of public opinion long before any legal decision is made.
“I hear barbaric things said about me, about players, about coaches. But I can’t shut myself off. It’s the modern world. I have to accept it. But honestly, I don’t like it. I have the right to say I don’t like it,” Queiroz said.
Queiroz saved some of his harshest words for the media, charging that they put sensationalism ahead of justice.
“I don’t like seeing this energy of impunity on social media and in the media – that you can do and say anything you want. That is the biggest challenge of the modern world, in my humble opinion. But that doesn’t sell newspapers, and you don’t care about that. You care about what sells newspapers,” he reiterated.
Partey’s night on the pitch was just as uneasy. Partey was given a straight yellow card and another round of jeers from the home crowd when he cut down his opponent by the ankles in the thirtieth minute after Wales forward Dan James had sped past him.
Amazingly, he stayed on the pitch. Ten minutes later, Partey missed a clear shooting opportunity on David Brooks at a distance of roughly twenty-five yards.
It would have most likely been a second yellow card in a competitive match.
However, the referee delivered a last warning and awarded Partey the benefit of the doubt.
After Wales had controlled possession and twice hit the woodwork in the first half, Queiroz made four changes, including Partey’s withdrawal at halftime as Ghana attempted to start again.
Queiroz stated unequivocally that Partey is still a key component of his World Cup preparations despite the off-field controversy and the on-field difficulties.
Citing the legal assumption of innocence, the coach has continuously justified his choice to select the midfield player in his preliminary team.
Partey’s trial is scheduled for June 2027 in London. He has pleaded not guilty and refuted all accusations.
Regardless of the response from opposing spectators, Queiroz maintains that his player should be viewed as innocent until proven guilty.
Ghana will now fly to the United States to continue preparing for their World Cup opening match against Panama on June 18 in Toronto.
It’s unclear if Partey will start that game, but Queiroz has made it quite plain where he stands.
Source: newsthemegh.com