Simon Jordan and John Terry urge England players to shake hands with Partey

Prominent English football figures John Terry and Simon Jordan have advised the Three Lions players to shake hands with Black Stars midfielder Thomas Partey during Ghana vs England at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The former Chelsea defender noted that although players are free to decide for themselves, he believes the Villarreal midfielder does not deserve to be treated unfairly.

Terry argued that Partey has been charged but not proven guilty, and therefore, it would be prudent for the players to extend the courtesy of a handshake.

England players to shake hands with Thomas Partey - Thomas Tuchel hints

“Listen, I think they’re all big boys, and they’ll make their own decisions. But I think you do the right thing in terms of millions of people watching. Like you said, Piers, it’s innocent until proven guilty. And I don’t know the facts or the ins and outs of the case, so I’m certainly not in a place to comment. But if you’re asking me, would I shake the player’s hand? Yes, I would. And I think the players are big enough to make their own decisions on that,” Terry said in an interview with Piers Morgan.

Former Crystal Palace owner and chairman Simon Jordan fully agreed with the ex-Chelsea captain’s assertion, reiterating that Partey has not been proven guilty.

Jordan stressed that being charged and being proven guilty are different matters altogether, cautioning that such situations must be handled carefully as they could involve anyone in the future.

“As John has said, we discussed this on another show, and I talked about it from the principle of being a club owner with a player facing that sort of allegation and what it looked like. Moving from allegation to being charged is a different barrier to me. So, as I said in our last discussion with Sean, if he had moved from an allegation to being charged, I would take him out of commission because I think it would be in the best interests of the club’s reputation and everything that goes with it.

“But as we have said repeatedly, and rightly so, without undermining the values of a victim, you are innocent until proven guilty. And judging people, be careful how you judge people, because one day someone will come along and judge you. So I think it’s entirely appropriate that players do what they want to do, but I would suggest that shaking hands is probably the right thing to do until such a time as someone has been found guilty,” Simon Jordan said.

Meanwhile, Partey has stated that he is not perturbed by the controversies surrounding him at the World Cup, saying, “There are things that cannot be controlled,” and affirming that he is ready to face England.

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@citisportsghana 🎥 🇬🇭 “Yes, I would shake Thomas Partey’s hand.” John Terry, Simon Jordan and Piers Morgan discuss Black Stars midfielder, who is due to face trial over rape allegations next year, and debate whether England players would shake his hand ahead of Tuesday’s match. #CitiSports (Credit: @PiersUncensored) #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #worldcup #blackstars #trending ♬ original sound - Citi Sports ⚽️