Wissam Ben Yedder, the France forward playing on after denying rape charge (2024)

Wissam Ben Yedder’s shot had not come to rest in the back of the net before a momentarily silent Beaujoire Stadium erupted into a unified chorus of whistles and scorn.

With every step the 33-year-old Monaco forward took back towards the halfway line, arms in the air celebrating, the crowd’s disdain grew louder.

Before Ben Yedder’s goal, his fourth in the first three matches of the new Ligue 1 season, the boos that had greeted his name when the line-ups were read out before kick-off had faded. His first couple of touches in Friday’s match were met with a venomous reaction, but then Nantes scored after five minutes and the home crowd were jubilant.

At times, the jeering felt contrived. There were no specific anti-Ben Yedder chants, nor were there any critical banners in the stands or outside the ground.

In that sense, the seemingly unpalatable situation has become acceptable.

Last month, Ben Yedder was accused of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault. He spent 48 hours in custody with his younger brother, who faced the same accusations, where they were questioned by police in the Mediterranean resort of Nice.

The allegations, which are denied, were made by two women, aged 19 and 20, and stem from an address in Beausoleil — a small town that adjoins the principality of Monaco, a half-hour drive east of Nice.

On August 11, prosecutors in Nice said the brothers had been charged and the pair were now subject to a judicial inquiry. Reports in France, which have not been denied by Nice’s prosecution office, state bail of €900,000 (about £772,000; $971,000) was requested.

If the outcome of the judicial inquiry concludes that there is enough evidence against them, they will stand trial.

Wissam Ben Yedder’s barrister, Hasna Louze, released a statement to local news outlet Nice Matin, which read: “My client strongly disputes the offences he is accused of.” Louze also hopes that “justice can continue in serenity without pressure of any kind,”

Two days after being charged, Adi Hutter, Monaco’s new manager, picked Ben Yedder to start — and captain the team — in their Ligue 1 opener away to Clermont. The 18-cap France international scored twice in a 4-2 win, then netted again a week later as visitors Strasbourg lost 3-0.

As far as Monaco and Hutter are concerned, it is business as usual. The club are not commenting on the matter concerning their star player due to a “legal procedure” being underway.

Ligue 1 did not respond when contacted by The Athletic,nor did several domestic abuse and anti-sexual-violence charities in France.

Before Lorient’s first home game of this season against Nice last Saturday, a banner was displayed nearby that read: “What is the justice system doing? B. Mendy, A. Hakimi, W. Ben Yedder. No forgetting. No forgiveness.”

Benjamin Mendy, the former Manchester City and France defender, signed for Lorient five days after being found not guilty of one count of rape and one count of attempted rape by an English court in July. At the beginning of this year, the 29-year-old was found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco wing-back Achraf Hakimi, 24, is under criminal investigation after an allegation of rape was made against him in February, which he strongly denies. He has not been charged.

Outside the Beaujoire on Friday, however, there were no such banners, no sign of tension. Instead, as the evening sun beamed down on an array of busy food stands and drink stalls, the atmosphere was relaxed.

The Athleticspoke to supporters outside the ground, many of whom did not know about the charges surrounding Ben Yedder. Others politely declined to talk about it, and many conceded it has not been a big topic in France.

“Everything is continuing as if nothing has happened,” said Juliette, a Nantes supporter. “There isn’t any evidence yet, so we do not know if he did what he is accused of, but it is difficult for women to sometimes come forward when famous people are involved.

“The fact he is still playing shows us that footballers are higher than others in society. It does not send a good message to other women.”

Tommy, one of the many fans soaking up the atmosphere, felt similar.

“He can’t play football (with the charges hanging over him),” was his view. “He shouldn’t be playing football. I understand it is innocent until proven guilty, but if I was in his situation, I would be in jail. He is a professional footballer and is allowed to continue playing. Professional footballers are treated differently in France and it can look like they get away with everything.

“In England, you just saw what happened with Benjamin Mendy and Mason Greenwood. They were big stories in the United Kingdom. They (the media) don’t talk so much about Ben Yedder here (in France).”

On Monday, Manchester United announced they will sever ties with Greenwood after a U-turn on their plan to reintegrate him into the first-team squad following their internal inquiry into the dropped charges — which Greenwood denied — of attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and controlling and coercive behaviour.

“People spoke about Ben Yedder for one day and that was it,” says Anais, another female supporter. “If this had happened with (Paris Saint-Germain’s France captain Kylian) Mbappe, everyone would have a different opinion and it would be a different story.

“Ben Yedder and Mendy are normal players and nobody cares about them. I was surprised he was in the team two days after being charged, but that’s the way it is.”

On the pitch, Ben Yedder was subdued and, for the most part, defended out of the game by Nantes.

The 33-year-old, who is from the Sarcelles district in northern Paris, made his name with Ligue 1 side Toulouse before moving to Seville of La Liga in the summer of 2016. After three seasons in Spain, he signed a five-year contract with Monaco, who had activated his €40million release clause.

He made his France debut in March 2018 but did not make the squad that won the World Cup that summer, and although he was selected for the European Championship and Nations League finals two years ago, he did not get further than the substitutes’ bench in either. Ligue 1’s top scorer so far this season, he has 102 goals in 170 appearances across all competitions over his four years with Monaco.

His strike in the 59th minute against Nantes was clinical. He had a split-second to react to a rebound, and that was all he needed to score Monaco’s second in what ended up as a thrilling 3-3 draw.

His contributions in attack are one of the reasons Hutter is more than happy for his talisman to continue captaining the team. While some outside the stadium on Friday night were confused about how to think and feel about the Ben Yedder situation, his club manager certainly isn’t.

“I want to talk about sport with Wissam,” Hutter replied when asked byThe Athleticwhether he has — and if he would — consider dropping him in light of the serious allegations. “It is his personal case.

“My job is to bring the best players on the pitch, and Wissam is one of them. For Monaco, he is a finisher and he showed that again. He can score all the time. I don’t want to talk about his personal case because that is not my goal. For me, there are no doubts about playing him.”

If, at the end of the judicial inquiry, it is decided there is not enough evidence to pursue a trial, then Hutter’s gamble on Ben Yedder will have paid off. If it goes the opposite way, the Austrian’s judgement will no doubt come under the microscope.

But this, after all, is football — and at least in several of the fans’ minds outside the Beaujoire, normal rules don’t apply.

(Top photo: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)