Former French footballer, Wissam Ben Yedder, was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence on Tuesday, following his trial in October in France on charges of sexually assaulting a woman.
The court in Nice delivered this sentence after a prosecutor initially sought a jail term of two years and six months, with 18 months suspended.
Ben Yedder, a former striker for Monaco and the French national team, was ordered to pay 5,000 euros, roughly $5,300, in compensation to the woman involved.
Additionally, the court has mandated that Ben Yedder undergo treatment as part of his sentence.
According to Marie Roumiantseva, his lawyer, the player was accused of committing sexual assault while intoxicated.
During the trial, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Frank Michel, argued that the victim was left in a state of shock from the incident, requesting 25,000 euros in damages on her behalf.
Ben Yedder faced charges after a lawsuit was filed against him by the woman in September. The incident, reported to have occurred in his car on the French Riviera, led to his brief detention, though he was released shortly afterward.
The player was eventually arrested at his residence later that night after initially refusing to stop his vehicle, and his driving license has now been suspended for six months as part of the court’s decision.
In response to his arrest, Ben Yedder — who has since begun alcohol detoxification and therapy — admitted to driving while intoxicated.
He further revealed during the trial that he was so heavily inebriated at the time of the incident that he has no memory of any act of sexual assault.
Since his contract with AS Monaco expired at the end of last season, Ben Yedder has been without a club.
In his final season, he was instrumental in Monaco’s success, scoring 16 goals and providing three assists, helping the team to secure a second-place finish in Ligue 1 behind Paris Saint-Germain.
Across five seasons with Monaco, he netted 118 goals in 201 appearances, ranking as the club’s second-highest all-time scorer, behind Delio Onnis, who scored 223 goals.
Ben Yedder has also been capped 19 times for France, last representing his country in June 2022.
This case is not his only recent legal challenge; in 2023, he faced separate charges involving rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault related to another incident in southern France.
