The descent into hell of footballer Wissam Ben Yedder. The former AS Monaco striker appeared this Tuesday afternoon for “sexual assault, refusal to comply and driving while drunk” before the Nice judicial court. The hearing was held at the end of the afternoon in the presence of the player.
Ben Yedder’s apology
“I’m sorry, I ask the victim’s forgiveness. I don’t remember anything because of the alcohol. Since then I went to treatment at Nice University Hospital for two weeks. I’m aware that alcohol makes me feel bad . I’ve been going through a dark period for two years.” It is in particular with these words that the former Monaco striker justified himself at the bar. He says he remembers nothing about the attack for which he is accused. His lawyers are pleading for release, because according to them “It is impossible in this case to prove that there was a sexual assault.“
The events took place on the night of September 6 to 7 in the Alpes-Maritimes. During one of these multiple alcoholic evenings which became his daily life, Wissam Ben Yedder, 34, met a young woman who agreed to get into his car. He placed his hand on her thigh and masturbated in front of her. Shocked, she immediately filed a complaint and the ex-international was arrested at the wheel of his car in Cap d’Ail, near Monaco.
“The videos show her hiding behind trash cans”
Maître Franck Michel, the complainant’s Monegasque lawyer, spoke this Tuesday on France Bleu Azur before the hearing: “It is a particularly violent attack and my client is traumatized. He more or less sequestered her in his vehicle, he touched her, he masturbated, she managed to escape. The videos in the file show her hiding behind trash cans.”
Initially, Wissam Ben Yedder denied the facts to the gendarmes. He doesn’t recognize them today but says he doesn’t remember anything. The prosecution therefore requested two and a half years in prison, including one year in prison. The lawyers of the former captain of Monaco requested the release of their client. The judgment is reserved until November 12
Already indicted for rape in the summer of 2023 and placed under judicial supervision, after having paid bail of 900,000 euros, Wissam Ben Yedder will also be tried on December 27 in Nice for “psychological violence” against his wife. The Ben Yedder couple have been separated since May 2023. Divorce proceedings have been initiated.
