Former Sevilla and France forward Wissam Ben Yedder has apologised to the victim, after sitting trial for an alleged rape. The 34-year-old ex-AS Monaco striker is awaiting his sentence, which is expected on the 12th of November.
The prosecution is seeking a sentence of two and a half years in prison if he is found guilty, while Ben Yedder’s defence centred around alcoholism. They told the story of Ben Yedder being cheated by his agent, defrauded out of money, and then undergoing a separation from his wife, driving him to drink. ‘I’m a solitary person, who struggles to trust people, and I sought refuge in alcohol,” he told the court, as per Marca.
Ben Yedder also apologised to the victim, who the prosecution said was ‘treated like a piece of meat’.
“I don’t remember anything, I can’t say if I did it. It’s because of the alcohol that I’m here. I sincerely apologise to the victim, to their family, to my family.”
“Alcohol made me forget, it helped me stop thinking…. I realise that it was the worst mistake of my life,” Ben Yedder explained.
Now without a team, Ben Yedder reportedly has no plans to retire, although it seems likely that the sentencing will dictate his ability to do so. The France international spent three years at Sevilla between 2016 and 2019, and has been at Monaco for the last five years.
