Brighton & Hove Albion player, Yves Bissouma has been granted bail in the early hours of Thursday, October 7, 2021, two nights after he was arrested at a seafront nightclub in England.
The 25-year-old Malian midfielder was arrested alongside his friend, a man in his 40s who has not been named at the time of publishing this report.
Yves Bissouma and his friend spent almost 24 hours in police custody where they were quizzed about a sexual assault they committed on a yet-to-be-named woman.
The date the offense was committed has not been disclosed. Reports claimed that the victim of the attack is currently receiving specialist support from officers.
A BBC report also claimed that the Brighton & Hove Albion player was given unconditional bail. This means that Yves Bissouma would remain a free man until November 3, 2021, when inquiries into the sex scandal are expected to resume.
A statement from Sussex Police confirmed that the man in his 40s who was arrested alongside Yves Bissouma has also been granted bail. He is expected to appear in court with the footballer on the aforementioned date.
In reaction to the scandal, Brighton & Hove Albion released a short statement to confirm that a player of the Premier League club is undergoing a legal battle.
In the club’s statement, the Premier League side failed to mention the name of the indicted player and the player’s offense.
“The matter is subject to a legal process and the club is, therefore, unable to make further comment at this time,” the club’s statement noted.
Why was Yves Bissouma partying instead of playing for Mali?
All major leagues across the world are currently observing the FIFA international break. Elites players like Yves Bissouma are with their national teams for international duties.
But Yves Bissouma stayed back in England to party instead of linking up with Mali national team ahead of the country’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Kenya (later today at 20:00).
He could not join up with Mali because he is currently battling to recover from a knee injury. The last time Yves Bissouma played for Brighton was on September 19, 2021. The Premier League match was against Leicester City. It ended 2-1 in favor of Brighton.
In his absence, Brighton has recorded a victory against Swansea in EFL Cup, and two draws in the Premier League against Crystal Palace and Arsenal. Despite the draws, Brighton are currently sitting on the 6th spot on the league table with 14 points in 7 games.
