![\"Soccer](\"https:\/\/production-livingdocs-bluewin-ch.imgix.net\/2025\/09\/03\/04d35b88-8e8b-4172-8938-813e028f14d2.jpeg?w=994&auto=format\")
Picture:<\/span> Football international Breel Embolo was back in court in Basel on Wednesday. He denies having made a legally relevant threat during an escalated dispute in 2018.<\/p>\n 16:55<\/p>\n Breel Embolo has reacted to the decision of the Basel court. The SFA has published a statement from the Nati star. “I regret the verdict and will wait for the written justification,” the 28-year-old is quoted as saying.<\/p>\n It was important to him to explain his side of the story to the court of appeal. “Now I’m focusing on the upcoming training sessions and the important games with the national team.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 16.05<\/p>\n The Court of Appeal has once again found Breel Embolo guilty of multiple threats. The sentence remains unchanged: 45 daily fines of CHF 3,000 each, subject to a probationary period of two years. The verdict is not yet final and can be appealed.<\/p>\n The court also follows the original verdict for Embolo’s friend: his colleague receives a conditional prison sentence of eight months for, among other things, simple assault – two months less than in the original verdict.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 3.51 p.m.<\/p>\n In the morning, the judge wished national team player Breel Embolo a “good match” on Friday. Between the wish and the match on Friday, however, there is still an important event on Embolo’s agenda: the verdict. Will Embolo be acquitted, or will the fine against him remain in place? The verdict is expected around 4 pm.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 11.02 a.m.<\/p>\n The second defense lawyer concludes his plea and demands an acquittal of simple assault. If the court confirms the guilty verdict, he demands a sentence reduction for Breel Embolo’s friend to 140 daily rates.<\/p>\n The hearing will be interrupted again. The verdict is expected at 4 pm.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 10.44 a.m.<\/p>\n The central argument of Embolo’s friend’s defense lawyer is that, according to the files, no one witnessed a fist strike. The defendant is accused of having broken the plaintiff’s nose. Both lawyers analyze the interrogation protocols and statements on site and come to the conclusion that there is no evidence of intent to injure.<\/p>\n The defense lawyer even goes so far as to say: “Even a careless push could have led to a nasal fracture.” However, it is not known for sure, as there are no medical reports. The only indisputable fact the defense attorney admits is: “There was a scuffle – and nobody saw a blow.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 10.31 am<\/p>\n The harsh criticism of the two lawyers comes to nothing: the seat of the public prosecutor, to the left of the defense lawyers, has been unoccupied since the beginning of the trial.<\/p>\n This makes for a certain situation comedy – because the lawyer of Embolo’s friend alternately addresses his words to the judge and, at least from the perspective of the spectators’ benches, to the empty chair of the public prosecutor’s office.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 10.21 a.m.<\/p>\n In the past few minutes, the defense lawyer for Breel Embolo’s friend has made his plea. The friend is accused of breaking the plaintiff’s nose. The accused himself did not speak in court and has now been sitting quietly in the courtroom for almost two hours.<\/p>\n His defense lawyer Christoph Balmer also insists that the proceedings were “not fair”. He refers to the long duration of the proceedings and accuses the judiciary of having violated the rights of the accused in various respects. “Fundamental guarantees were not upheld!”, he says and demands acquittal.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 10.02 a.m.<\/p>\n The defense lawyer comes to his request: He demands a complete acquittal for Breel Embolo. A central argument is that Embolo has had to endure unfair proceedings in recent years. “It was all about exposing the accused.”<\/p>\n He also criticized the “extremely excessive” media coverage, which had prejudged Embolo in public. If a conviction is nevertheless handed down, the court must “necessarily” take this media prejudice into account to mitigate the sentence. As an example, he refers to numerous “reader comments”: “These contain violations of personal rights that must not be ignored.”<\/p>\n The lawyer also points out that “the internet never forgets” and that such reader comments could permanently damage Embolo’s reputation – with possible consequences for future transfers. “These comments are an additional punishment,” says the defender.<\/p>\n Irrespective of this, the presumption of innocence applies to Embolo until a final conviction.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 10.00 a.m.<\/p>\n Breel Embolo was not only accompanied by his legal counsel this morning. He was also accompanied by Adrian Arnold, media spokesman for the Swiss Football Association. They left the appeal court in Basel around half an hour ago. Embolo is expected to attend training for the Switzerland-Kosovo qualifier (on Friday) at around 11 am. The judge approved the partial dispensation.<\/p>\n KEYSTONE<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 9.49 a.m.<\/p>\n Only a dozen adult guests and journalists are seated on the benches. There are no school classes present today – and that’s probably for the best. Because the words of Embolo’s defense lawyer can hardly be surpassed in vulgarity, as he has to quote statements from the night of the crime several times.<\/p>\n He dissects the alleged statements that Breel Embolo is said to have made on the night in question. Sentences such as: “Di lahni au verschlah, du Hueresohn.” The lawyer keeps switching between High German and Swiss German. His plea is directed at the judge and seems bizarre from the spectator’s bench because of the insults. But these are exactly the words that, according to the lower court, are said to have been spoken in the Basel exit mile – and which were interpreted as a threat at the time.<\/p>\n With his analysis, the lawyer wants the court to ask itself: How are such words to be understood by the average recipient? Are they everyday swear words or actually a serious threat? “It wasn’t about beating Embolo up,” emphasizes the defence lawyer. He also points out that eyewitnesses could not remember any threats.<\/p>\n KEYSTONE<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 9.38 am<\/p>\n Embolo’s lawyer opens the second part of the trial with his plea. He clears up possible misunderstandings and emphasizes that it is understandable that after five or even seven years, people no longer remember exactly who said what. He refers to the long duration of the proceedings: the public prosecutor’s office took a long time to carry out its investigations.<\/p>\n At the same time, the lawyer casts doubt on the credibility of the witness statements. He even speaks of a “potpourri” of contradictory statements. “People talk to each other, think about things … It’s normal for people to exchange ideas – and as a result, consistency is lost,” he argues. And: “People contradict each other.” The only thing the defence lawyer wants to be counted as fact: “Mr Embolo was provoked.”<\/p>\n It is therefore impossible for the court to create facts today “without arbitrariness”. The principle applies: “In dubio pro reo” – in case of doubt for the accused. A courageous plea, but one that is not without risk: if the court has doubts about Embolo’s account, the term “arbitrariness” is unlikely to meet with approval.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 9.26 am<\/p>\n The Nati star is allowed to leave the trial early. This was decided by the court at the start of the trial today. Reason: Embolo wants to train for the qualifying match at 11 am. A photographer was able to take a picture of Embolo leaving the court building.<\/p>\n KEYSTONE<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 9.25 a.m.<\/p>\n Let’s use the break for a quick look at the Criminal Code.<\/p>\n Article 180 of the Swiss Criminal Code is at the heart of today’s trial. A statement is not already a punishable threat if it is abusive, but it must be capable of putting the victim in “terror or fear”. Lawyers call this a “serious threat”. The court must therefore examine whether an average person in the victim’s situation would have felt serious fear of the threatened harm.<\/p>\n The exact wording, the tone of voice, the surrounding circumstances and the overall aggressive atmosphere of the incident play a decisive role.<\/p>\n If the court today also judges it to be a “serious threat”, criminal law provides for a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine.<\/p>\n Good news for the footballer: Embolo will probably not have to go to prison – however, the court of first instance had sentenced him to a conditional fine of 45 daily rates of CHF 3,000 each. If the verdict is confirmed today and becomes legally binding, Embolo will have to pay a whopping 135,000 francs as soon as he reoffends.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 9.11 a.m.<\/p>\n The court ends the round of questioning. The judge says: “Mr. Embolo, you may dispose of this … I mean: you may go.” Embolo thanks the judge and wishes those present “e scheene Daag” in broad Basel German.<\/p>\n The hearing is briefly interrupted.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 9.10 a.m.<\/p>\n The Court of Appeal has three options today. It can dismiss Embolo’s appeal in its entirety and confirm the first-instance judgment.<\/p>\n Alternatively, it can uphold the appeal and acquit Breel Embolo of the accusation of threatening behavior.<\/p>\n The third option is to amend the judgment: The court could come to the conclusion that Embolo’s culpability was less than assumed and reduce the penalty, or – purely theoretically – even increase the penalty, although this is considered unlikely in this case. The presumption of innocence applies until the final judgment.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 9.07 a.m.<\/p>\n Embolo struggles to find the right words. When the argument escalated that night, it is said to have been a shoving match – at least that’s how he described it during questioning. The broken nose was the result of this “shoving match”. Today, however, he says: “It wasn’t a shoving match at all.”<\/p>\n He pauses, looking for a more precise formulation: “It was … how do you say it?” He looks over at his defense attorney. “It was … more of a restraint.” With this statement, Embolo apparently also wants to defend his best friend, who is accused of having broken a man’s nose that night. At the same time, Embolo emphasizes that his memory is incomplete: “It was seven years ago. All I can say is: I didn’t see a fist. And nobody was on the ground.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 8.56 am<\/p>\n The court of first instance convicted Embolo not only because of the words themselves, but because of the entire context. The court argued at the time that Embolo had deliberately sought the confrontation, could not be calmed down for minutes and had used his social position as a famous sportsman to intimidate.<\/p>\n In particular, the statement that he could find people who “cause stress” was considered a serious threat, as it gave the victims the feeling that they could be attacked by strangers at any time and in any place. According to the verdict, the seriousness of the situation was underlined by the fact that a woman present burst into tears.<\/p>\n The judge and Embolo are now discussing why Embolo does not want his appearance to be understood as a threat. The judge repeatedly asks for details, such as: “Do you know why your colleague broke the other’s nose?” Embolo replies with a counter-question: “Do you know that they know each other?” Embolo is implying that there is probably a history between the two.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 8.53 a.m.<\/p>\n Back to today’s hearing: Embolo describes how he was repeatedly provoked at the beginning of the dispute. You can clearly hear in his voice how much he is struggling to have his view of the evening recognized by the court.<\/p>\n He reports that as a professional footballer, he was prepared early on to deal with pushy fans: “If you don’t take a photo, you’re immediately an arrogant sack of shit. I learned how to deal with such situations when I was 15. I trained myself to do that.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 8.48 a.m.<\/p>\n One striking point in the first verdict was the massive reduction in the sentence due to the long duration of the proceedings. The court found a violation of the so-called acceleration rule, as the authorities allowed almost two years to pass before conducting the first hearings.<\/p>\n This considerable delay had a mitigating effect and led to a 40% reduction in the calculated sentence.<\/p>\n Embolo’s lawyer also presented a number of media reports at the start of the trial today. In the first trial, the defense had already tried to obtain a more lenient sentence with reference to an alleged “media prejudgement”.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 8.45 a.m.<\/p>\n In June 2023, the Basel criminal court found Breel Embolo guilty of multiple threats and imposed a conditional fine of 45 daily rates of CHF 3,000 each. This corresponds to a sum of CHF 135,000, which does not have to be paid for a probation period of two years.<\/p>\n The court considered it proven that Embolo had verbally threatened two men in May 2018. The football star is now defending himself against this verdict before the Court of Appeal. He does not deny having behaved wrongly, but does not accept the legal classification of his words as a criminal threat.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 8.37 a.m.<\/p>\n While Breel Embolo describes the events of the night, the judge asks about one detail: “Who was driving the car?” As a reminder: The night of the crime began with Embolo driving to the Basel exit mile with a friend. A discussion about a selfie there escalated into an argument.<\/p>\n Embolo replied: “I was driving the car, it’s my car.” He makes it clear that he himself was at the wheel of the black Mercedes G-Class with German license plates. The judge explains his question: “So far, your friend has always been referred to as the ‘chauffeur’.”<\/p>\n blue News<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Regarding the initial contact with the other group, he says: “We drove a few laps through the Steinen that evening. Then I found a parking space,” he explains. One person kept talking to him. He tried to ignore it. But he was met with insults. “I didn’t want it to get that far,” says Embolo. He actually wanted to go home.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 8.29 a.m.<\/p>\n Breel Embolo’s first substantive statement follows: “I didn’t threaten anyone.” Yes, he insulted someone and admitted it. But he maintains his position that he did not insult anyone on the evening in question.<\/p>\n The court then asks Embolo to replay the evening of the offense.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 8.27 a.m.<\/p>\n The hearing begins with a substantive procedural issue that is quite a challenge: Breel Embolo wants to leave the trial early so that he can go to training. The preparation for the World Cup qualifier takes place at around 11 am. The court grants the request without much discussion.<\/p>\n Before the trial, he publicly announced his intention to attend the hearing. His physical presence will therefore only last a few hours.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 8.21 a.m.<\/p>\n The court has opened the hearing with a slight delay and immediately begins with the fundamental questions: Is Breel Embolo’s address still correct? Was it his birthday last Saturday? Questions that help the court to break the ice.<\/p>\n blue News is sitting in the courtroom of the Court of Appeal and will be reporting live from the hearing. Photo and video recordings are not permitted from the court building.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n 8.13 a.m.<\/p>\n The trial in Basel begins in a few minutes. Breel Embolo is there in person. Smiling, he walks past the journalists present.<\/p>\n blue News<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n National team star Breel Embolo will be on trial again in Basel on Wednesday. The 28-year-old is defending himself against a conviction for multiple threats by the Basel Criminal Court in June 2023, when he was sentenced to a conditional fine of 45 daily rates of CHF 3,000 each (CHF 135,000 in total) with a probation period of two years.<\/p>\n The trial starts at 08.15 a.m. – blue News will report from the scene.<\/p>\n The incident in question took place on the night of May 27, 2018. 21-year-old Embolo was turning into Basel’s Steinenvorstadt in his Mercedes G-Class when he got into an altercation with a group of young people.<\/p>\n A young woman recognized the football star and asked for a selfie. Embolo agreed and posed out of the car window. When he then asked the woman’s friends if they also wanted a photo, one of them declined with the words “I don’t need that”. A male companion in the group then laughed out loud.<\/p>\n This reaction apparently infuriated the striker. Embolo got out of the car with two colleagues, including his best friend. He is said to have tried to take off his jacket, which was interpreted as a gesture of readiness to fight, but was held back. He then sought a verbal confrontation and shouted: “Don’t you know who I am?”<\/p>\n According to the verdict of the court of first instance, the threats followed. Embolo is said to have shouted in the face of one of the men: “I’ll fuck you up!” He allegedly said to another: “I’ll have you beaten up too, you son of a bitch!”<\/p>\n At the main hearing, Embolo himself admitted that he had at least said something along the lines of: “If you want stress, I’ll find people who want stress with you.”<\/p>\n According to witnesses, the footballer’s words caused panic. A young woman began to cry. While several people present tried to calm the situation, Embolo did not hold back and repeatedly sought proximity to the group in a provocative manner.<\/p>\n When one of the women’s companions tried to mediate, Embolo’s best friend suddenly threw a punch. The punch hit him in the face. A witness later said: “It really stung.” The victim suffered a complicated nose fracture and was unable to work for weeks afterwards.<\/p>\n The key question for the court is whether Embolo’s comments can be legally considered a threat. The international player vehemently denies this. In the run-up to the trial, he told theTages-Anzeiger<\/a>newspaper: “I was convicted for allegedly threatening, but I don’t accept that.”<\/p>\n He admits to misconduct, but not to the threat: “I know that not everything was good on my part in this incident. I recognize that and I have apologized for it. But I distance myself from the accusation that I threatened anyone.”<\/p>\n It is now up to the Basel-Stadt Court of Appeal to reassess the case. The presumption of innocence applies until a final conviction is handed down.<\/p>\n
\n KEYSTONE<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSoccer No time? blue News summarizes for you<\/h2>\n
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\n What Embolo says about the verdict<\/span>
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\n Court confirms conviction<\/span>
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\n Verdict at 4 p.m.<\/span>
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\n Second plea ends<\/span>
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\n No evidence of a punch?<\/span>
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\n Public prosecutor’s office shines with absence<\/span>
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\n Second plea<\/span>
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\n Defense lawyer demands full acquittal<\/span>
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\n SFV squad accompanied Embolo<\/span>
\n <\/h2>\n![\"Soccer](\"https:\/\/production-livingdocs-bluewin-ch.imgix.net\/2025\/09\/03\/c653462d-56cb-4a2a-8b21-7376ac9f4884.jpeg?rect=0%2C212%2C1267%2C950&w=994&auto=format\")
Soccer
\n The words “You son of a bitch” are uttered several times<\/span>
\n <\/h2>\n![\"Soccer](\"https:\/\/production-livingdocs-bluewin-ch.imgix.net\/2025\/09\/03\/cdd2ef5a-f09e-43f5-9611-4bb66ba3378f.jpeg?rect=0%2C79%2C1266%2C1045&w=994&auto=format\")
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\n Defense lawyer begins his plea<\/span>
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\n Trial continues without Embolo<\/span>
\n <\/h2>\n![\"Soccer](\"https:\/\/production-livingdocs-bluewin-ch.imgix.net\/2025\/09\/03\/d16fe83b-8080-4f16-98ce-01fbc106ad16.jpeg?rect=39%2C242%2C865%2C649&w=994&auto=format\")
Soccer
\n When is a threat punishable?<\/span>
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\n Questioning ends<\/span>
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\n Court has three options today<\/span>
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\n A shoving match that wasn’t supposed to be one<\/span>
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\n Was it a threat?<\/span>
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\n Embolo presents himself as a selfie pro<\/span>
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\n Embolo benefited from a lighter sentence due to delay by the public prosecutor’s office<\/span>
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\n As a reminder: why Embolo was convicted<\/span>
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\n Judge wants to hear details<\/span>
\n <\/h2>\n![\"Soccer](\"https:\/\/production-livingdocs-bluewin-ch.imgix.net\/2025\/09\/03\/d8f6a3f4-7f0e-47e6-b796-8c9559f65191.jpeg?w=994&auto=format\")
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\n “I didn’t threaten anyone”<\/span>
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\n Breel Embolo wants to leave early<\/span>
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\n Trial begins<\/span>
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\n Embolo on site in person<\/span>
\n <\/h2>\n![\"Soccer](\"https:\/\/production-livingdocs-bluewin-ch.imgix.net\/2025\/09\/03\/cd128cf5-8c3b-444c-b13d-0ec0d881c999.jpeg?w=994&auto=format\")
Soccer What is the trial about?<\/h2>\n
Soccer Verbal altercation with serious consequences<\/h2>\n
Soccer Embolo denies the threat<\/h2>\n
\nSoccer Archive video of the trial in 2023<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n