There weren't many fans at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday evening. For a friendly between Wales and Ghana, that might not have been surprising, but the noise generated in certain moments was remarkable.
One such moment came five minutes in. Ghanaian right-back Marvin Senaya played the ball inside to the big man in the yellow No 5 shirt, and it was as if his touch had triggered a switch. The booing started immediately.
When the No 5 slipped a quick pass out to the other wing, the booing stopped as quickly as it had begun. But when the ball worked its way back to him, this time from left back Gideon Mensah, the booing resumed, louder than before.
The loudest response came 25 minutes later. Daniel James was on the run, and the big No 5 was in pursuit. Sliding in, he swept James's legs from under him. A yellow card was shown, there were a few cheers, and then the booing returned. The stadium was two-thirds empty, but some causes raise the temperature.
No doubt it's a strange time to be Thomas Partey. And it's a strange time to watch him play football.
But we will see more of that this summer. Partey has been selected for Ghana's World Cup squad, and on June 23 he is likely to start against England in Boston. The question of whether English players will shake his hand is reportedly under consideration by the FA.
The FA is well aware that many of Thomas Tuchel's side know Partey well. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, for instance, were teammates with Partey at Arsenal until last June.
But it's complicated. There isn't an elephant in the northern savannah of Ghana as big as the elephant in the room when it comes to their national team's No 5.
In July last year, Partey was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with two additional counts of rape added in February. These charges involve four women.
Partey has pleaded not guilty to all charges, but that is for a jury to decide, and a verdict may not come until early 2027.
This is a curious limbo for football and for Partey. He knows the drill well enough. He was first arrested in connection with these matters in July 2022. At that time, he was the mystery footballer, unnamed for legal reasons, but his identity was an open secret.
The media knew, the fans knew, and his club at the time, Arsenal, knew. A protest group set up outside the Emirates Stadium on matchdays, protesting against Partey being selected week after week by Mikel Arteta.
In most workplaces, with such serious offences under police investigation, a suspension would likely follow. Yet football seems different. Partey's experience at Arsenal was different. Arteta played him 12 days after the first arrest in 2022 and used him in 52 games during the 2024-25 campaign, Partey's last before his contract expired.
Arteta was vocal about wanting to extend his deal that season, but there was no mention on Arsenal's website when Partey left on June 30, 2025. The club promoted a deal with a new beer partner but said nothing about the departure of a first-teamer described as 'exceptional' by Arteta six weeks earlier.
The charges arrived days after Partey departed, and he now plays for Villarreal. Presumably, they see the situation the same way as Ghana's manager, Carlos Queiroz.
Queiroz said in Wales: 'It's a simple and basic answer. As far as I know, in England, in Portugal, whatever, until the court makes a decision, the presumption of innocence is on the side of all court cases. This is not for me or you to make a judgment about. Let the river flow and one day when the river meets the ocean we are going to find the truth.'
Others might see it as a babbling brook of nonsense and the pragmatism of a coach who needs a good midfielder. Queiroz wouldn't be the first, but Welsh fans won't be the last to favour a different view.
