Former Sevilla star Wissam Ben Yedder has been handed a six-month prison sentence in Spain for a crime against the Public Treasury. However, according to AS, the Monaco striker will not serve any jail time. In addition to the prison sentence, Ben Yedder has been ordered to pay a fine of €133,798 (£117,519). The sentence has been suspended for two years, with the condition that the defendant does not commit any further crimes during this period.
Ben Yedder’s charges relate to his three-year spell at Sevilla, where he scored 70 goals and provided 22 assists in 138 appearances. The Frenchman is best remembered for knocking Manchester United out of the Champions League in 2018. During the Round of 16, Ben Yedder scored a brace that led to a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford, securing Sevilla’s place in the quarter-finals.
This week, United and Sevilla are set to face off again in the Europa League quarter-finals. However, Ben Yedder will not play any part in the game as he is now competing for Monaco in his home country. The centre-forward has so far scored 96 goals and provided 30 assists in 161 games with the Ligue 1 giants.
United will host Sevilla at Old Trafford in their first-leg clash and will visit Spain next week for the second leg. The winner of that tie will go on to face either Juventus or Sporting Lisbon, who knocked Arsenal out, in the semi-finals.
Despite his prison sentence, it is highly unlikely that Ben Yedder will spend any time behind bars. The suspension of his sentence means that he will only serve time if he commits another crime during the two-year period.