Ben Yedder guilty and sentenced to two years in prison

Wissam Ben Yedder has completely changed his status in France. Just four weeks ago, he was going through an intense hearing in Nice following a complaint of sexual assault for alleged acts of the past 6 September. Months later, the French player has been sentenced by the court.

He has been found guilty of all charges: drink-driving, refusal and sexual assault for the events of 6 September. Ben Yedder has therefore been sentenced to two years' suspended prison, a fine of 5,000 euros and a six-month suspension of his driving licence, as well as the obligation to compensate the victim.

"I was drinking and I don't remember what happened that night. It was a difficult time: I had problems with my agents, my wife... I had been drinking for three or four days. I was under the influence of alcohol, I should have stopped, but I wasn't myself. Alcohol made me forget and helped me stop thinking. It was the worst mistake of my life," he said in his statement.

'Bild' reported at the time that Ben Yedder tried to masturbate and touch the complainant's thigh, after which she managed to escape to hide behind some rubbish bins. Later, she arrived at a friend's house and, secondly, at a relative's house, from where she went to lodge the complaint.

Ben Yedder is also the defendant in another case going to trial in December in which he is charged with psychological violence against his wife. The couple is in the process of divorcing. He also stands accused by another woman of raping her in the summer of 2023. Police are still investigating that claim.

He has denied both accusations. Ben Yedder started his professional career in Toulouse before moving to Spanish side Sevilla. A Spanish court in 2023 found him guilty of tax fraud while he was living in the country, and gave him a six-month suspended sentence.

He arrived at Monaco in 2019 where he scored 118 goals in 201 matches, but his contract was not extended when it expired this year. He scored three times for the French national team in 19 matches.