DImitri Payet, 39, retired just two months ago after his contract ended with a farewell message to Vasco da Gama fans. The Frenchman, who played internationally for teams including West Ham, Marseille, Nantes and Saint-Etienne, is currently on trial in Brazil over allegations of assault by his ex-partner Larissa Ferrari.
The player, who was in his final days as a professional, made 75 appearances for Vasco before leaving the club. He recorded highlights such as a relief effort on the final day of Serie A in 2024, but it also brought an end to a torrid spell marked by an injury that meant an abrupt end.
As reported by L’Equipe, it was a turbulent ending, mainly due to the episode cited at the beginning and the fact that judicial proceedings have now begun. The former France international has already returned to the Marseille area with his family and could face criminal charges. Since April 2025, he has been accused of “physical, psychological and sexual violence” by lawyer Larissa Ferrari, with whom he had an affair from August 2024 to March 2025.
In a 17-page document she wrote, the complainant told investigators that she suffered from a “personality disorder characterized by hypersensitivity,” and claimed the soccer player used this to “emotionally blackmail her and obtain violent and humiliating sexual favors.”
some dark episodes
She also claims that the relationship took a turn for the worse after an episode of jealousy and she miscarried in February 2025. “Because of his behavior, I felt emotionally violated. During sex, he started punishing me, hitting me and stomping on my face and body,” she says. “I had no choice, no dignity. It was just a cruel, hateful imposition by a man who believed he had a divine right to own me, abuse me, and abandon me,” she said.
“I had no choice, no dignity, nothing more than a cruel and hateful imposition by a man who believed he had a divine right to own me, abuse me, and abandon me. The case was initially closed, but prosecutors reopened it citing potential psychological harm and alluding to “hurtful and degrading attitudes and comments, acts of humiliation and manipulation.” Ms. Payet was questioned on April 16, 2025 by a police unit specializing in violence against women. Jacarepagua admitted to having an extramarital affair but denied any attack. ”
It also explains how Vasco da Gama’s bout of jealousy took their relationship in a sinister direction, and reveals that she suffered a miscarriage in February 2025, at the height of their crisis. “Because of his behavior, I felt emotionally violated. During sex, he started punishing me, hitting me and stomping on my face and body,” she says.
In a statement, he said the pair met on Instagram, defended the relationship as consensual and claimed the “unconventional” sex act came from Ferrari. He also denied physically assaulting her and said he was unaware of her psychological problems. According to his account, she wanted to move to France, and when he refused, she allegedly threatened to release dangerous information.
On December 4, prosecutors reopened the case on charges of emotional abuse, but declined to apply it to other crimes, a decision confirmed by a judge in January. But Ferrari’s defense speaks of “bodily harm” and “sexual assault” based on documents, images and conversations. “I hope he is charged with two other crimes (sexual and physical). The biggest psychological damage I have suffered is from the sexual assault,” she said.
Former player denies everything
Mr. Payet strongly denies the allegations. Ferrari, on the other hand, gave her version of the story in a piece titled “From fan to refugee, where it all began,” in which she claimed to be “financially stable” and not looking for “fame or fame,” adding: “I was looking for something infinitely more dangerous: love.”
According to her account, “perverted, humiliating and violent” episodes began in December 2024, and she admitted that she “succumbed to love when he humiliated her for pleasure.” “He was no longer the man who once sheltered and protected me. He was like a monster, a predator. I became his sex slave,” she wrote in the document, which her lawyers described as written during a “night of agony.”
He was no longer the man who had once accepted me and protected me. He looked like a monster, a predator. I was his sex slave
The process is ongoing. On March 3, the former player’s defense received a subpoena to respond in writing, and on March 26 filed a 64-page document questioning the “lack of legal reliability of the alleged victim’s statements” and highlighting the “lack of forensic testing” to support the alleged victimization.
The defense is seeking “summary acquittal of the defendant,” arguing that based on private conversations, “there was Larissa’s express consent and there was no moral harm,” and that this was an “unconventional and consensual act.”
A judge is currently considering the case and is expected to decide whether to dismiss or uphold the charges, and a preliminary hearing may be held. Meanwhile, the complainant claims the relationship was “abusive and toxic” and that she still suffers from its effects. “I endure shame and humiliation every day. No one wants to receive messages online or on the street.”
“I hope Dimitri is convicted,” she concluded. “I hope this serves as an example for all who remain silent in the face of abuse.”
