Rio Ferdinand has dismissed a fake quote linking him to a handshake incident between Thomas Partey and Djed Spence in the 2026 FIFA World Cup game between Ghana and England. The former Manchester United defender insisted that his name should not be attached to such quotes.
Earlier, a fake quote claimed that Ferdinand called out Spence for failing to exchange pleasantries with Partey in the Ghana versus England game. The false quote also went on to claim that Ferdinand suggested that the former Arsenal midfielder is innocent until proven, it reads (via @ArsenalNews_Hub on X):
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“If I were Djed Spence, I’d take some time to sit down and reflect on what happened, then ask myself whether that’s really how I’d want to treat a fellow professional. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but one principle must always remain: people are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. That’s the foundation of justice.”
Ferdinand responded via his handle on X:
“Don’t attach my name to this shit.”
Thomas Partey is facing legal charges, having been accused of several sexually related offences, and the legal fireworks are expected to continue in June 2027. A situation that made him unavailable for Ghana’s FIFA World Cup opener against Panama in Canada due to an immigration law.
However, he was granted a travel visa to the United States of America, and he played in the England-Ghana game in Boston. Before kickoff, Spence appeared to be the only Three Lions player who didn’t shake Partey’s hand.
“We refuse to be part of people that try to bring dust and politics – Ghana’s head coach responds to Thomas Partey and Djed Spence incident in the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Ghana’s head coach, Carlos Queiroz, refused to comment on the incident involving Thomas Partey and Djed Spence. He insisted that he and the federation will not be part of those mixing dust and politics with football.
Speaking in an interview after England’s 0-0 draw with Ghana, Queiroz said (via Daily Mirror):
“It did not happen [handshake], as you saw, in the comments of Thomas, we refuse to be part of people that try to bring dust and politics inside the game. We fight to keep the frontline sacred. It’s difficult sometimes but it happens, we have to congratulate everyone on the game, we leave politics outside of the game”
Thomas Partey proved to be a vital player against Ghana, having registered a passing accuracy of 85% (23/27). He won six out of eight ground duels, made five clearances, and registered four tackles (via Sofascore).
Meanwhile, Ghana has registered four points from two games in Group L at the ongoing FIFA World Cup tournament. They will take on Croatia in their final group game at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, June 27.
Edited by Abel Yisa