Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey has broken his silence over rape charges being brought against him.

African Times reported on Friday that the former Arsenal player has officially been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by England’s Metropolitan Police Service.

“The charges follow an investigation by detectives, which commenced in February 2022 after police first received a report of rape,” the force said.

“The Crown Prosecution Service has today authorized the prosecution of Thomas Partey for multiple counts of rape after carefully reviewing a comprehensive file of evidence,” added Jaswant Narwal, the chief crown prosecutor for CPS London North.

Partey has now responded, claiming his innocence, through his lawyer Jenny Wiltshire of Hickman and Rose.

“Thomas Partey denies all charges against him. He has fully cooperated with the police and the prosecution throughout their three-year investigation. He now welcomes the opportunity to finally clear his name. Due to ongoing legal proceedings, my client is unable to provide further comments.”

Arsenal, meanwhile, have been under fire for “protecting” Partey over the years, as alleged by commentators including Sarah Shephard, who wrote a scathing column for the New York Times.

“Partey has been arrested, questioned by police, and bailed seven times, all while he was helping Arsenal come desperately close to winning the Premier League title. He also played for Ghana at the 2022 World Cup,” wrote Shephard.

“Whether the club knew this development was coming or not, they are now facing difficult questions over the way they have handled this situation. And the brief statement they issued late on Friday night—’The player’s contract ended on June 30. Due to ongoing legal proceedings, the club is unable to comment on the case’—does nothing to answer them.”

The Metropolitan Police said he is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 5 August.