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Breel Embolo was before the court of appeal in Basel on Wednesday morning.
Picture: KEYSTONE
Football international Breel Embolo was back in court in Basel on Wednesday. He denies having made a legally relevant threat during an escalated dispute in 2018.
National team star Breel Embolo will be on trial again in Basel on Wednesday. The 28-year-old is defending himself against a conviction for multiple threats by the Basel Criminal Court in June 2023, when he was sentenced to a conditional fine of 45 daily rates of CHF 3,000 each (CHF 135,000 in total) with a probation period of two years.
The trial starts at 08.15 a.m. - blue News will report from the scene.
The incident in question took place on the night of May 27, 2018. 21-year-old Embolo was turning into Basel's Steinenvorstadt in his Mercedes G-Class when he got into an altercation with a group of young people.
A young woman recognized the football star and asked for a selfie. Embolo agreed and posed out of the car window. When he then asked the woman's friends if they also wanted a photo, one of them declined with the words "I don't need that". A male companion in the group then laughed out loud.
This reaction apparently infuriated the striker. Embolo got out of the car with two colleagues, including his best friend. He is said to have tried to take off his jacket, which was interpreted as a gesture of readiness to fight, but was held back. He then sought a verbal confrontation and shouted: "Don't you know who I am?"
According to the verdict of the court of first instance, the threats followed. Embolo is said to have shouted in the face of one of the men: "I'll fuck you up!" He allegedly said to another: "I'll have you beaten up too, you son of a bitch!"
At the main hearing, Embolo himself admitted that he had at least said something along the lines of: "If you want stress, I'll find people who want stress with you."
According to witnesses, the footballer's words caused panic. A young woman began to cry. While several people present tried to calm the situation, Embolo did not hold back and repeatedly sought proximity to the group in a provocative manner.
When one of the women's companions tried to mediate, Embolo's best friend suddenly threw a punch. The punch hit him in the face. A witness later said: "It really stung." The victim suffered a complicated nose fracture and was unable to work for weeks afterwards.
The key question for the court is whether Embolo's comments can be legally considered a threat. The international player vehemently denies this. In the run-up to the trial, he told theTages-Anzeigernewspaper: "I was convicted for allegedly threatening, but I don't accept that."
He admits to misconduct, but not to the threat: "I know that not everything was good on my part in this incident. I recognize that and I have apologized for it. But I distance myself from the accusation that I threatened anyone."
It is now up to the Basel-Stadt Court of Appeal to reassess the case. The presumption of innocence applies until a final conviction is handed down.
