England Defender Djed Spence Refuses To Shake Hands With Ghana's Thomas Partey | Watch

Published 23 June 2026 · sports

England Defender Djed Spence Refuses To Shake Hands With Ghana's Thomas Partey | Watch Published By, Last Updated: June 24, 2026, 02:55 IST In several

England Defender Djed Spence Refuses To Shake Hands With Ghana's Thomas Partey | Watch Published By, Last Updated: June 24, 2026, 02:55 IST In several videos that have gone viral on social media, the 25-year-old full-back can be seen avoiding a handshake with Partey. England defender refuses to shake hands with Ghana's Thomas Partey. (Picture Credit: Screengrab) England are taking on Ghana in their second Group L match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Tuesday (June 23). For the clash against the African side at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, England manager Thomas Tuchel has made a couple of changes to his starting XI. Manchester City centre-back Marc Guéhi and Tottenham Hotspur full-back Djed Spence have been preferred over Manchester City’s John Stones and Nico O’Reilly. Ahead of kick-off, Spence, who is making his FIFA World Cup debut for the Three Lions, appeared to refuse to shake hands with Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey.

In several videos that have gone viral on social media, the 25-year-old full-back can be seen avoiding a handshake with Partey, while the rest of the England players either shook hands with or fist-bumped the former Arsenal midfielder. Here’s a look Djed Spence was the only England player who refused to shake Thomas Partey’s hand before kick-off. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🤝 pic.twitter.com/CmnFLSxuxQ— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) June 23, 2026 🚨| Djed Spence???????????????????????????? to shake hands with Thomas Partey. ❌🤝 pic.twitter.com/BOnGmpFYLd— FÚTBOL HUB (@futbol_hubX) June 23, 2026 Partey, who previously played in the Premier League for Arsenal, is featuring in his first match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Tuesday. He missed Ghana’s Group L opener against Panama on June 17 after being denied entry into Canada. Why was Partey denied entry into Canada? Partey was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by London’s Metropolitan Police in July 2025.

He pleaded not guilty to those charges in September 2025. In February 2026, he was charged with two additional counts of rape and again pleaded not guilty in April. “FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana’s team base camp in Boston, USA, to Canada for their first match against Panama on Wednesday, 17 June, as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government. FIFA is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas. As with previous FIFA events, the host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country," The Athletic quoted a FIFA statement as saying last week. According to publicly available information, Canadian immigration rules state that individuals who have committed or been convicted of certain crimes may be deemed inadmissible to Canada. Partey has been charged and is awaiting trial, but he has not been convicted of any offence.