Thomas Partey was greeted with some whistles, a little applause and no major protest as he made his competitive debut for Villarreal on Friday. The 32-year-old former Arsenal midfielder has been released on bail in England, charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, which he denies. His signing had drawn complaints from supporters in Spain but on his first La Liga appearance at the Estadio de la Cerámica there was mostly indifference.
Partey was introduced in the 82nd minute, along Alfonso Pedraza, with Santi Comesaña and Nicolas Pépé making way. As the two players entered the pitch, with Villarreal 2-0 up against Real Oviedo and the game drifting to a conclusion, some whistles could be heard among the clapping. Partey touched the ball 13 times and the first four or five of those were met more clearly with whistles, although they soon faded. They did not come from a particularly significant portion of the crowd. There was also some timid applause in response to the whistles.
