Khaberni - Wissam Ben Yedder, the former attacker of the France football team, has been referred to the regional criminal court in the Alpes-Maritimes region on charges of "rape, attempted rape and sexual assault" according to what France Presse Agency learned on Monday from the public prosecutor's office in Nice, confirming the report published by the sports newspaper "L'Equipe".
An investigation was opened against the 35-year-old who defended the colors of Monaco from 2019 to 2024 and who currently plays in the Turkish second division league, and his brother Sabri who was also referred to appear in court on charges of rape and sexual assault, in 2023 after accusations they both deny directed at them by two young women they met at a party.
The brothers have the right to appeal the decision to refer them to the criminal court, and Wissam Ben Yedder has exercised this right according to what his lawyer Sofia Korba reported, noting that her client "strongly contests the charges against him since the beginning of these proceedings".
In contrast, Guillaume Carre, the lawyer for one of the alleged victims told France Presse Agency: the young woman felt relieved and satisfied that the facts were finally recognized.
In France, adults accused of crimes punishable by 15 to 20 years in prison are referred to the criminal court, which consists only of professional judges, therefore, the investigating judge agreed to the public prosecutor's recommendation at the end of May to try the brothers on charges of rape and sexual assault, adding a charge of attempted rape against Wissam Ben Yedder.
Recently, the former international player who played 19 matches with the "Les Bleus" scoring 3 goals, has been in the headlines due to his legal troubles more than his playing career, as in early September last year he was fined 90,000 euros by the Nice criminal court on charges of psychological harm to his estranged wife pending divorce proceedings between them.
After being convicted in Spain of tax evasion during his time with Sevilla between 2016 and 2019, Ben Yedder was tried in the fall of 2024 on charges of sexually assaulting a young woman while intoxicated a few months earlier, and was sentenced to two years in prison with a suspended sentence before appealing the verdict.
He moved to Iran in April to try to revive his career with Sepahan where he met other Frenchmen like manager Patrice Carteron and players Steven N'Zonzi and Aboubakar Kamara, but this adventure did not last long, as he signed a contract in early September with Sakarya Spor, which plays in the Turkish second division league.
