"My words exceeded my thoughts": Wissam Ben Yedder's major marital revelation in court, which requested an 8-month suspended prison sentence

This time, there's no cap or attempt to evade the lenses and cameras. This Wednesday, Wissam Ben Yedder strides briskly up the steps of the Nice courthouse. The former AS Monaco captain knows the address. This is the third case in the space of a year that has resulted in him being summoned to court. The court will confront him with the woman he married in 2021, who now accuses him of "psychological violence."

So, it's back to court for Wissam Ben Yedder. At 34, the French international, without a club after five seasons in the Principality, recently bounced back in Iran. The striker even scored his first goal for Sepahan SC at the end of the championship. But on the legal front, the game is far from over.

The defendant and his wife take their seats at opposite ends of the room for a hearing before a single judge. The couple is in the process of divorcing. From the outset, President Didier Iermoli sets the order of priorities. "So, Mr. Ben Yedder, you are well-known. Well-known because you have a conviction in Seville for tax fraud in March 2023. And you came here last November. You are also well-known because you are a football player..."

"He made my life hell."

The hearing will last three long hours. It will take time to explore the multiple facets of the "psychological violence" denounced by the footballer's wife. Threats, insults, humiliation, insulting or demeaning remarks... "My husband made my life hell," she told the police.

Ben Yedder allegedly changed his attitude towards her in March 2023. He never hit her, but "applied physical, financial and emotional pressure," summarizes prosecutor Sabine Neale. In a recording recorded without his knowledge, he can be heard saying: "You're going to pay dearly for this, I'm going to push it to the limit," "You'll see, my little brother, he's going to hit you, you're going to cry..."

“No violence, no intimidation”

On February 6, 2024, an altercation at Cap 3000 prompted his wife to file a complaint. She was even given a life-threatening phone. "I did everything I could to avoid getting to this point. For my son, " she sighed in court, clearly distressed. " I'd like him to understand the long-term harm this can cause. I'd like him to stop behaving like this."

"There was no violence, no intimidation, nothing ," says Wissam Ben Yedder. "My words went beyond my thoughts." The footballer admits to having lived through "a very complicated period." He "grudgingly admits to mistakes." But, gradually gaining confidence, he hits back: "From the moment I'm attacked, I defend myself too!"

"Distressing banality", but...

The proceedings paint an unflattering portrait of an unfaithful husband who uses blackmail and keeps his wife under control. A major marital revelation that, for the defense, has no place here. "For a long time, I felt like I was attending a hearing before the family court judge!" exclaims Marie Roumiantseva, who pleads for acquittal. "We're replaying the divorce," insists Hasna Louzé. " This case is nothing out of the ordinary. It's distressingly banal. It's the story of a couple that tore itself apart." But this story involves a celebrity, who earned 600,000 to 700,000 euros per month and paid 30,000 of that for a villa.

On the civil party side, Elisabeth Maisondieu Camus, has "a great regret: not hearing a more frank recognition and apologies, for [her] client and for her son." "In psychological violence, it's the words that hurt," insists Sabine Neale. The prosecution had initially closed the case without further action. It is finally requesting an 8-month suspended prison sentence and a 10,000 euro fine. Decision on September 3.

Entangled in legal matters

To date, Wissam Ben Yedder has one conviction in Nice. On November 12, the criminal court found him guilty of sexual assault, drunk driving, and refusal to comply with orders. These charges occurred in early September in Cap d'Ail. He was sentenced to two years in prison with a suspended sentence. He has appealed the decision.

The threat of another trial, this time a criminal one, still hangs over Wissam Ben Yedder. The footballer and his brother Sabri are under investigation for rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault , following a complaint by two young women they met in the summer of 2023 in Saint-Laurent-du-Var. The events allegedly took place in an apartment rented as an AirBnB in Beausoleil. The Ben Yedder brothers have denied all charges. The prosecution must now deliver its final indictment.