Footballer Mohamed Ihattaren given community service for assaulting ex-girlfriend

Footballer Mohamed Ihattaren has been sentenced to 60 hours of community service for the assault of his ex-girlfriend and attempting to provoke a threat. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) released the sentence, which was given to Ihattaren during a hearing on May 19, on Tuesday.

According to the OM, Ihattaren confessed to both accusations and expressed his regret for his actions during the hearing. The attempted threat came on October 7, 2022, and was committed along with another suspect, the prosecutor said. “The evidence for this was found in a telephone conversation involving Ihattaren, which was bugged by police in an investigation for a case that he was not a suspect in.”

When deciding the extent of the punishment, it was taken into account that the footballer, who played for Ajax and PSV, has never been convicted for similar cases in the past, and that it happened a long time ago.

The OM also took into account that Ihattaren sought “suitable help” during this time and has not had any contact with the police or any authorities since the incident.

The assault took place months later on February 11, 2023. The footballer hit his girlfriend at the time on several occasions. Ihattaren did not appeal the verdict, making the sentence final.

Ihattaren played for RKC Waalwijk last season. The club was relegated from the Eredivisie, which led to the midfielder announcing that he will now look for another club.

The midfielder was considered one of the biggest talents in the Netherlands when he broke through at PSV Eindhoven in 2018. He left the club to join the Italian team Juventus in 2021, but he failed to make an appearance for the team as his career went on a significant downward trajectory.