Friday, February 27, 2026 - A French appeals court has overturned a decision to send former France international Wissam Ben Yedder to trial on rape-related charges, ruling there was insufficient evidence to proceed.
Judicial sources said the Aix-en-Provence appeals court
found there was “no basis for prosecuting him,” reversing an earlier move by
prosecutors in Nice who had sought a trial on allegations of rape, attempted
rape and sexual assault.
“We are very satisfied with the decision. My client has
always maintained his innocence,” his lawyer, Sophia Kerbaa, said following the
ruling.
Ben Yedder, 35, and his brother Sabri were placed under
formal investigation in 2023 after two teenage women accused them of offences
linked to an encounter at a party. Both men had previously been ordered to
stand trial before the appeal court’s decision.
The former AS Monaco and Sevilla FC forward has faced
multiple legal challenges in recent years.
In September, a court in Nice fined him €90,000 for
psychological abuse of his wife, from whom he is currently divorcing. In 2023,
he was convicted in Spain for tax fraud during his spell at Sevilla. He also
received a two-year suspended sentence in France in 2024 in a separate sexual
violence case, a ruling he is appealing.
After leaving Monaco in 2024, Ben Yedder had brief spells
playing in Iran and Turkey before signing in January with Moroccan side Wydad
Casablanca.
The development comes as other prominent footballers,
including Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain and former Arsenal midfielder
Thomas Partey, are also facing separate rape-related legal proceedings in
France and England.
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