Former Ivory Coast international footballer Abdoulaye Traore has been sentenced to three years in prison for r@pe, according to an Ivorian women’s rights organisation.
Traore, also known as Ben Badi, was part of the Ivory Coast team that won the 1992 African Cup of Nations and remains a well-known figure in the country.
In a statement, the Ivorian League for Women’s Rights said a court in Bouaké delivered the sentence, describing it as a “significant advance in the fight against impunity for s3xual and s3xist violence”.
The group added that, in addition to the prison term, the court ordered “the payment of 15 million CFA francs to the victim” and imposed a five-year ban on the former player from entering the central region.
A judicial source said Traore was found guilty of non-consensual s3xual relations with a 21-year-old woman in March 2021. Before retiring, Traore was a prominent player for ASEC Mimosas in Abidjan and also played for European clubs including FC Metz and SC Braga.