Arsenal corner flag
Arsenal corner flag
Football careers are built on more than academies. Someone at home usually pays the first ticket.
When that person is gone, the condolences arrive faster than any official statement. Families are allowed to say nothing until they are ready.
Clubs and countries wait on funeral dates. They do not need a press conference to show respect.
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Thomas Partey is grieving the death of his father, Jacob Teye Partey, who died on Wednesday 30 September. The news was first shared by African football reporter Nuhu Adams. Legit.ng says the cause has not been made public and the family has not commented. Funeral arrangements have not been announced. Partey himself has not issued a statement.
Reports in Ghana have long said Jacob sold personal property to fund his son’s move into football abroad. That support sat behind a career that took Partey from Accra to Atletico Madrid, then to Arsenal in 2020, and this season to Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League.
He made more than 100 appearances for Arsenal as a holding midfielder under Mikel Arteta. He left north London in 2025. He remains Ghana’s deputy captain and one of the country’s most recognisable players.
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The Black Stars have had a difficult start to AFCON qualifying, including a heavy defeat to Gambia. That is club-and-country noise. It is not the story today.
Tributes from teammates and supporters are expected as details of the funeral emerge. Until the family speaks, the facts that can be repeated are few: a father has died, a former Arsenal midfielder is in mourning, and the rest is private.
Arsenal supporters who watched him through the early Arteta years will recognise the name even if he now plays elsewhere. The decent response is the simple one. Condolences to the Partey family. No rush for quotes that have not been given.
Arsenal - Mikel Arteta
Arsenal - Mikel Arteta