Former West Ham and Marseille star Dimitri Payet has announced his retirement from football just months after an ex-lover accused him of subjecting her to 12 hours of ‘psychological torture’.
The 38-year-old midfielder, whose contract at top-flight Brazilian club Vasco da Gama was terminated at the end of last season, has remained a free agent this campaign and has now decided to call time on his career in professional football.
According to reports first published last July, Payet is set to go on trial in Brazil over claims made by his former mistress Larissa Natalya Ferrari, who alleged that she was forced to drink her own urine and lick the floor during an affair lasting seven months.
The former France international, who has been charged with ‘psychological violence’, is accused of using his power and status to trap Ferrari in an abusive relationship, coercing her into degrading acts and using ‘punishments’ to control her every move.
Returning to Marseille on Sunday to watch his former club take on Lille at the Stade Velodrome, Payet emotionally announced at half-time that he is officially retiring from the sport.
During the heartfelt interview on live television, he said: ‘On the eve of my 39th birthday (March 29), I officially announce my retirement as a professional footballer.
Dimitri Payet announced his retirement from football in an emotional interview on Sunday
Payet’s contract at Brazilian club Vasco da Gama was terminated at the end of last season
Payet is set to go on trial in Brazil over claims made by his ex-mistress Larissa Natalya Ferrari
‘My dream was to become a professional and I managed to do so for twenty years at the highest level. I also played for the national team (38 caps). This is the end of a great adventure.
‘It’s symbolic for me to announce this here. I feel at home. A chapter of my life closes today and a new one begins.
‘The desire to play is still there, but at 39, the body is different. The demands of football are very complicated. I didn’t want to be part of a project where I couldn’t be 100% myself.
‘I prefer to hand in my badge and my weapon. Emotionally, it was impossible for me to play against OM.’
Despite playing the majority of his career in Ligue 1 for clubs including Marseille, Saint-Etienne and Lille, Payet is best known in England for his two-year spell with West Ham United in the Premier League between 2015 and 2017.
He was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2015-16 Premier League season and was also recognised as West Ham’s Player of the Year that campaign.
Now having retired from the game, Payet’s attention will turn to the ‘psychological violence’ case hanging over him.
According to police reports, the former France international has admitted to having an affair with Brazilian lawyer Ferrari but strongly denies claims of violence against her.
Ferrari has alleged that Payet described her as ‘worthless’ because he had slept with hundreds of other women, despite having a wife and four children. It’s thought that during his two years playing for Vasco de Gama in Rio de Janeiro, the footballer was living away from his family, who stayed in France.
Ferrari’s case, understood to have been lodged in April, was initially dismissed by prosecutors in Brazil before Payet was indicted on an appeal.
At the time, the 38-year-old’s defence lawyer Sheila Lustoza reportedly said she disagreed with the decision, but respects it and stressed it was a natural part of the process.
The former France star enjoyed a superb two-year stint at West Ham between 2015 and 2017
The 38-year-old midfielder was understood to have been living away from his wife Ludavine (pictured) and their four children while playing in Brazil for two years at Vasco da Gama
‘From this point onwards, however, the defence will be granted the right to present its version of the facts with all the evidence gathered so far,’ a statement read.
Ferrari’s lawyers said they welcomed the decision by the city’s Domestic Violence Court in accepting the complaint.
‘We received the recent decision with confidence in the institutions responsible for investigating the facts and holding the person under investigation accountable, recognising it as an important step forward in the search for the truth and reparation for the damages suffered by the victim.
‘The Judiciary’s position reaffirms the authorities’ commitment to the seriousness of the events and their firm determination to curb practices that violate women’s dignity, regardless of the social position or public visibility of the person under investigation.
‘We reiterate our commitment to remain firm in the uncompromising defense of our client’s rights, certain that justice will prevail.’
