Abdoulaye Traore, a former Ivory Coast international footballer, has been handed a three-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape, according to an Ivorian women’s rights group.
Traore, popularly known as Ben Badi and a member of the squad that won the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations, remains a notable figure in Ivorian football history.
In a statement, the Ivorian League for Women’s Rights confirmed that a court in Bouaké delivered the verdict, describing it as a major step forward in tackling impunity related to sexual and gender-based violence.
Beyond the prison term, the court also ordered Traore to pay 15 million CFA francs in compensation to the victim and imposed a five-year ban preventing him from entering the central region of the country.
A judicial source revealed that the conviction stemmed from an incident in March 2021 involving non-consensual sexual relations with a 21-year-old woman.
During his playing career, Traore featured prominently for ASEC Mimosas in Abidjan and also had spells in Europe with FC Metz and SC Braga.