The police investigation into Thomas Partey on five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to three separate women, has been one of football’s open secrets for precisely three years.
He was first arrested in July 2022. The law of this land had preserved his anonymity, but you would have had to be hiding under a rock to work in the industry and not know.
Though he denies the charges levelled against him, there is a prosecution case to be aired. The most cursory knowledge of our legal system tells you that since 2022 there had been a possibility that the footballer under investigation might eventually be charged.