French soccer star Wissam Ben Yedder stays free ahead of trial on charges of sexual assault

French soccer star Wissam Ben Yedder will stay free ahead of his trial on charges of sexual assault while intoxicated, one of his lawyers told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Marie Roumiantseva said Ben Yedder will remain under strict judicial supervision after a woman filed a lawsuit for sexual assault earlier this month.

The 34-year-old Ben Yedder, a prolific striker who has also played for the national team, was briefly detained then released after the alleged incident in his car on the French Riviera. Ben Yedder had been stopped by police after he first refused to do so. He was then put in a jail cell.

After he was summoned to appear in court on Oct. 15 and placed under judicial supervision, the Nice prosecutor’s office appealed the decision not to remand the player in custody. The investigative chamber of the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence did not grant this request and kept Ben Yedder under judicial supervision.

“It’s a satisfactory decision in view of the case,” his lawyer told the AP. “It also allows Mr. Ben Yedder to benefit from medical care that he would not be able to get in detention.”

Ben Yedder attended a hearing Tuesday during which he offered to go to rehab. He has admitted he drove while under the influence of alcohol but has strongly denied any sexual assault. He must report at a police station twice a week and will receive outpatient treatment pending his trial. He says he did not notice the signals of police officers when they tried to stop him.

In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with “rape, attempted rape and sexual assault” over another alleged incident in the south of France.

Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.

He scored 16 goals with three assists in the French league last season to help Monaco finish second behind Paris Saint-Germain. In five seasons with Monaco, he scored 118 goals in 201 appearances in all competitions to become the club’s second-highest scorer behind retired Argentine striker Delio Onnis (223).

Ben Yedder has 19 caps for France, the last of which came in June 2022.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer