Dimitri Payet has been accused of “physical, moral, psychological and sexual violence” by a woman in Brazil who says she had a romantic relationship with the 38-year-old.
Larissa Natalya Ferrari, 28, told Brazilian outlet Globo that she has requested a protective measure from local police against Payet, who has played for Rio de Janeiro-based Vasco da Gama since the summer of 2023.
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The Agence France-Presse (AFP), via Le Monde, says the police report includes allegations from Ferrari that she had “been assaulted by Dimitri Payet, which left marks on her body”. The Athletic has approached the former France international’s representatives for comment.
A statement from Rio’s civil police, as reported by AFP in Le Monde, said: “The complaint was registered at a police station specialising in assistance for women. The investigation is ongoing.”
In her interview with Globo, Ferrari alleges that the problems started after she asked Payet for two tickets to Vasco’s home match against Atletico Mineiro. She alleges that the former West Ham United midfielder got “very angry” and started using “psychological pressure” on her after her friend published a photo of them at the match, without crediting him.
“From that day on, he started to talk about punishment because I had disappointed him,” Ferrari said. “I started to feel emotionally violated because he had already started to put pressure on me. During sex, he started to hit me, stepping on my face and on my body. I was afraid to say anything because I knew it was a punishment for my mistake and if I didn’t accept the punishment, I could lose him. So, yeah, I ended up accepting it.”
Speaking to AFP, Ferrari said: “He asked me for proof of love that consisted of humiliations. I recorded videos in which I drank my urine, I drank the water from the toilet bowl, I licked the floor.”
The police report, Globo says, cites Ferrari as saying she believes he was “emotionally blackmailing her to gain sexual advantage.”
Ferrari told Globo that she has left Rio and is undergoing treatment with psychologists and psychiatrists, in addition to taking prescription medication to treat the trauma she has suffered. She added that she is publicising her story to help other women who have suffered from similar incidents.
Additional reporting: Roshane Thomas
(Wagner Meier/Getty Images)
