Spence appears to snub Partey pre-match handshake

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 Djed Spence appeared to shake hands with Partey

Tuesday 23 June 2026 22:30, UK

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.

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.