Wissam Ben Yedder convicted of psychological violence against his wife

Former French national football team striker Wissam Ben Yedder (19 caps, three goals) was sentenced on Wednesday, September 3, by the Nice Criminal Court to a fine of €90,000 for psychological violence against his wife, from whom he is in the process of divorcing. Absent from the verdict, the player will appeal, announced his lawyer, Marie Roumiantseva.

In May, the hearing discussed at length the relationship between the player and his wife, from whom he has been separated since May 2023. He said he felt betrayed by his agent and his wealth manager and suspected his wife of colluding with them. She denounced disrespectful, cold, aggressive, humiliating behavior, and threatening words and gestures.

The court found the player guilty, citing the violence of his remarks, the humiliation of his wife, who was deceived even though she was pregnant, and his financial dependence on their lifestyle: she had stopped working while he was earning 600,000 to 700,000 euros per month in Monaco at the time.

The prosecution had requested an eight-month suspended prison sentence and a €10,000 fine. Ben Yedder was ultimately sentenced to 150 days' fines of €600 each and ordered to pay his wife more than €60,000, half in compensation for damages and half in legal costs.

Currently without a club after his contract with Monaco expired in June 2024, and despite a brief stint with Sepahan FC in Iran in the spring, Wissam Ben Yedder is now making more of a name for himself in the courts.

After a conviction in Spain for tax evasion while playing for Sevilla, he was tried in the fall of 2024 for sexual assault against a young woman during a drunken night out a few months earlier. Sentenced to a two-year suspended prison sentence, he appealed. He is also under investigation for rape, as is his brother Sabri, following accusations by two young women he met at a party in the summer of 2023, which both men deny. At the end of May, the Nice prosecutor's office requested a trial in this case, and it is now up to the investigating judge to decide whether to refer the case to the criminal court.