Spanish public prosecutors are pursuing a one-year prison sentence and a €2,880 fine against a supporter accused of racially abusing Kylian Mbappe during a match last year.
According to prosecutors, the individual “acted with evident contempt for the player’s skin colour” by shouting insults and making “denigrating gestures” after the Real Madrid forward scored against Real Oviedo in August. The behaviour allegedly included simulating primate movements and sounds, which authorities said were clearly audible to spectators in the stadium.
The case marks the first reported racist incident involving Mbappé since his high-profile arrival in Madrid in 2024. However, it underscores the broader and persistent challenge of racism within LaLiga.
Mbappé’s teammate Vinicius Junior has been repeatedly targeted since joining Real Madrid in 2018 and remains at the centre of ongoing controversy. The Brazilian recently accused Gianluca Prestianni of SL Benfica of racially abusing him during a Champions League fixture — an allegation the Argentine has denied. In January, supporters of Albacete Balompie were also reported to have directed racist chants at the winger.
Spanish courts have issued sanctions in similar cases. In May 2025, five supporters of Real Valladolid received one-year prison sentences for racially insulting Vinícius during a 2022 match. Separately, four members of an ultra group linked to Atletico Madrid were handed prison terms for displaying an effigy of the player in January 2023, though those custodial sentences were later converted into fines.
The prosecution’s firm stance in the Mbappé case reflects growing institutional pressure in Spain to impose tangible legal consequences for racist abuse, moving beyond fines and stadium bans toward criminal accountability.
In a separate legal development, a French appeals court has overturned a decision to send former France international Wissam Ben Yedder to trial on rape-related charges, citing insufficient evidence.
The court in Aix-en-Provence ruled there was “no basis for prosecuting him,” reversing an earlier determination by prosecutors in Nice that the 35-year-old should stand trial for rape, attempted rape and sexual assault.
“We are very satisfied with the decision. My client has always maintained his innocence,” his lawyer, Sophia Kerbaa, told AFP.
Ben Yedder — who joined Moroccan side Wydad AC in January — and his brother Sabri had been placed under formal investigation in 2023 following accusations by two teenage women they met at a party. Both had previously been ordered to face trial.
The ruling adds another chapter to a turbulent period in the striker’s career. The former AS Monaco and Sevilla FC forward has faced multiple legal proceedings in recent years. In September, a criminal court in Nice fined him €90,000 for psychological abuse of his wife amid ongoing divorce proceedings.
He was also convicted in Spain in 2023 for tax fraud linked to his time at Sevilla, and in 2024 received a two-year suspended sentence in France for sexual violence in a separate case — a conviction he has appealed.
Since departing Monaco in 2024, Ben Yedder has had brief stints in Iran and Turkey before signing with Wydad.
The appeals court decision comes amid heightened scrutiny of off-field conduct involving elite players, with cases concerning Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain and former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey proceeding separately in France and England.
