Former Ivory Coast international footballer Aboulaye Traore has been sentenced to three years in jail for rape, an Ivorian women’s rights group reported.
- +Ex-Ivory Coast Footballer Aboulaye Traore Receives 3 Years Jail For Rape
Nicknamed Ben Badi, the striker won the 1992 African Cup of Nations with the Elephants and remains a very popular figure in the West African country.
Nicknamed Ben Badi, the striker won the 1992 African Cup of Nations with the Elephants and remains a very popular figure in the West African country.
In a statement, the Ivorian League for Women’s Rights said that the Bouake court handed down the three-year sentence on Wednesday, hailing a “significant advance in the fight against impunity for sexual and sexist violence”.
Besides the jail term, the court ordered “the payment of 15 million CFA francs to the victim” ($26,700) and a five-year ban on appearing in the central region, the rights group said.
According to a judicial source, the footballer was found guilty of having non-consensual sexual relations in March 2021 with a woman who was 21 years old at the time.
Before his retirement, Traore was a cult hero for Abidjan’s ASEC Mimosas and also appeared for several European clubs, including FC Metz in France and Portugal’s Braga.
