Saïd Chabane, former president and current owner of the Angers club (2nd football division), in the west of France, was sentenced on Friday to two years in prison, one of which was suspended, for sexual assault. Absent during the deliberations, Mr. Chabane, 59, who was on trial for sexual assault “committed by a person abusing the authority conferred on him by his position”, was found guilty of the facts denounced by six women and acquitted “for the benefit of the doubt” in a seventh file. His lawyers announced that they would appeal the conviction. Among the main players in the spectacular sporting recovery of Angers, including a return to the elite in 2015, Saïd Chabane denied during the trial in December all the facts with which he was accused. He had described himself as a man who “started from scratch”, a “directive” and “demanding” boss but who had never maintained a relationship of “domination” with his staff. The club, which he has owned since 2011, was relegated to Ligue 2 at the end of the 2022/2023 season. Entangled in a succession of businesses and a catastrophic sporting situation, he handed over the presidency to his son Romain in March 2023. The prosecutor had requested three years in prison against him, one of which was suspended, mentioning during his requisitions the “gestures intolerable” described by the civil parties. On the stand, former employees of the Angers club and Saïd Chabane’s charcuterie company had recounted forced hugs and touching of the buttocks and chest.
1 min