Angers winger Farid El Melali was detained by police after neighbors saw him indecently exposing himself while looking through a woman’s window.
Algerian Ligue 1 player El Melali, 22, was taken into police custody on Monday night after shocked neighbors said they witnessed him masturbating in the courtyard of his apartment block - on the same day he signed a lucrative contract extension with his club until 2023.
El Melali told police that his attitude was inappropriate, and that he thought he was alone in the courtyard of the complex, located in the center of Angers.
Although his lawyer Sandra Chirak Kollarik said that the player “was not targeting anyone and was not aggressive towards anyone,” El Melali immediately admitted his guilt and was released in the early hours of the morning, French media report.
Kollarik is expected to say in mitigation that El Melali didn’t think the female neighbor could see what he was doing.
Incredibly, police sources say that it isn’t the first time the player has been reported for exactly this kind of offense, however the witness wasn’t able to 'positively identify him' after an alleged incident last month.
He is likely to face a fine this time around, but while his club have confirmed his arrest, they haven’t announced if they will take further disciplinary measures against him, instead saying they will “wait for the decision.”