Frenchman Ben Yedder, Monaco captain and former Sevilla player, charged with rape

French international footballer Wissam Ben Yedder, Monaco captain and former Sevilla player, has been charged with rape, attempted rape and sexual assault by a court in the French city of Nice.

Ben Yedder, 32, has been held in custody facing trial and the court has set bail at 900,000 euros.

The news came from local newspaper Nice Matin, citing sources from the Nice prosecutor’s office. His younger brother, 25, has also been charged on the same counts.

Ben Yedder, who played for Sevilla between 2016 and 2019, and his brother were accused by two women aged 19 and 20 of forcing them to perform certain sexual acts on the night of July 10 in Beausoleil, a small French town next to Monaco.

Having scored 19 goals last season, the French footballer was one of the top scorers in the French league and has played 19 times for his country’s national team.

When the allegations were revealed in mid-July, Monaco issued a statement saying it was aware of the reports about the player and that, as the case was “subject to legal proceedings’ they were unable to offer an official comment.

What happens next remains to be seen, but with Monaco‘s Ligue 1 campaign set to begin on Sunday, the team will be without the forward.