Former French striker Wissam Ben Yedder has admitted he is an alcoholic, having allegedly performed sexual acts on a young woman in his car while drunk on whisky.
Ben Yedder is accused of driving the young woman, born in 2001, to an underground parking garage, attempting to masturbate in front of her and touching her thigh, reports RMC sports.
The 34-year-old former Sevilla and Monaco striker is reportedly due to appear in court on October 15 for sexual assault after he was arrested earlier this month in Cap d’Ail, near Nice.
His defense maintains that the accusation that he touched the woman on her thigh is “not a serious offense.”
He was arrested in a ‘state of intoxication’ between the night of Friday, September 6, and the early morning of Saturday.
Former France striker Wissam Ben Yedder has admitted to being an alcoholic after being accused of performing a sex act on a young woman
Ben Yedder, who last played for Monaco, will stand trial for sexual abuse on October 15
He is currently without a club. The 34-year-old’s defence has dismissed the claim that he touched the young woman’s thigh while drunk in his car as ‘not a serious offence’
Ben Yedder is not allowed to leave the Alpes-Maritimes region, has a curfew from 8pm to 6am, is not allowed to visit bars or clubs and is not allowed to approach his alleged victim. He must also report to a police station twice a week until his trial.
The Nice Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Attorney General wanted Ben Yedder to be held until his trial, but an investigative chamber decided he should remain in custody. free from judicial supervision until then.
When he appeared before the investigating officer on Tuesday, September 17, the account of events stated that he was drunk and had a “bottle of whiskey and coke” in his car, while a small group of youths were nearby.
One of the young women claimed that Ben Yedder kept looking at her and, along with a young man, took her in his car to the underground location.
According to the young woman, after the man left, Ben Yedder tried to “masturbate in front of her” and touched her before she managed to escape and hide behind a garbage can.
Eventually, the young woman says, she reached her friends, sought shelter with a relative and filed a complaint with the police.
Two other witnesses also described Ben Yedder as acting “aggressive and drunk,” although they were not present after he drove away with the young woman.
“You feel all-powerful because you’re a football player,” the attorney general said during the hearing. “You can get away with anything. You’re still in a somewhat sad situation for yourself, when you find yourself in a beach parking lot, alone on a Friday night.
Ben Yedder will not be under judicial supervision until his trial, but is not allowed to travel and is subject to a curfew.
Attorney General Believes Ben Yedder Thinks He Can ‘Get Away With It’
‘So alone that you’re in a car with a bottle of whiskey. The kids recognize you and then you do a little shopping with (looking at) the girls, “look, is this free or not”.’
Ben Yedder is said to have been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and has admitted that he ‘hopes to get out of the situation’.
“I’m doing my best,” said the former French international. “Quitting is the best solution to heal myself. I’ve always indicated and I’ve always been there when justice called me.”
He also visited a ‘specialist psychologist’.
His lawyer has maintained: ‘The fact that he allegedly put his hand on the plaintiff’s thigh is not in reality a serious offence.’
The lawyer added that he is “fully integrated in France” and that he is a “first offender in terms of sexual relations”.
“He is one of the top scorers in Ligue 1. He was in negotiations with several clubs until tonight, including a French club,” the spokesman said.
Ben Yedder last played an international match in June 2022.
The clubless striker scored 259 goals in 513 games, for Toulouse, Sevilla and Monaco.