Daniel Riolo, editorialist for After Foot, was angry at the possibility of seeing Wissam ben Yedder, convicted of sexual assault, engage with Montpellier.
Daniel Riolo gave a powerful rant on Tuesday in After Foot, faced with the possibility of seeing Wissam Ben Yedder (34) return to the football fields. The name of the attacker, sentenced to two years in prison for sexual assault committed in September 2024, has been cited in recent days as a lead from Montpellier. The French international (19 caps, 3 goals) is still indicted for “rape, attempted rape and sexual assault” in a case which dates back to the summer of 2023 in the Alpes-Maritimes. He will also face a trial on May 21 for “psychological violence” against his wife. If his judicial control allows him to find a club anywhere on French territory, Daniel Riolo is up against this possibility.
“It’s a pure scandal”
“When we talk about matters related to justice, each case is particular and must be taken separately,” he explains in the preamble. “I don’t think the Ben Yedder case is like other cases. Ben Yedder is in trouble with the law and must answer for several serious facts. I’m not Justice but I can’t stand being in a locker room with a guy who did that kind of thing, I would have a hard time being in a locker room next to a guy who did what Greenwood did, I couldn’t stand to be in a locker room next to him of a guy who did this what the rugby player Haouas did in Montpellier.”
“If I were a manager, not even in a dream, it would cross my mind to have a guy like Ben Yedder in a locker room,” he continues. “It’s a pure scandal that we could consider such a thing. The English released Greenwood, OM took him and that will always bother me deeply. I think it’s even more serious for Ben Yedder, as It’s serious for Théo Hernandez. If we have to start classifying seriousness, guys have been in much more trouble in the history of football for less serious things.”
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If Ben Yedder appealed his conviction, that does not change the root of the problem for Daniel Riolo. “He was convicted, he confessed himself, he even went to rehab,” he concludes. “There is nothing more serious in my eyes than the violent act. For me it marks the entry into something barbaric. The guy who attacks a woman like Ben Yedder is not admissible And the cynicism of saying: ‘the others have done it, we are in so much trouble, that if he can score goals to save us…’. rather than to have a guy like that in my team There are feminist associations (which express their dissatisfaction) but why does this only concern feminist associations? This story should not only concern women. to be outraged that this guy screwed over a woman and is being prosecuted for attempted rape. What world do we live in?
Nicolas Couet Journalist RMC Sport
