Fulham player Issa Diop released without charge after being arrested over secret ‘death threat’ recordings against ex
FULHAM star Issa Diop has been released without charge after he was arrested following allegations he was making ” death threats” to his ex-partner.
The 26-year-old defender was arrested at the Pullman Hotel in his home city of Toulouse on Sunday evening.
The Fulham player was detained in the Jean-Jaures area following claims of “repeated death threats” to his former partner, 29, over “alimony payments” for their child.
An official source told the local La Depeche newspaper: “He is suspected of having repeatedly threatened his partner, aged 29, whom he is separating from.
“Their divorce, which began months ago, is taking place in a climate of conflict.”
But on Monday afternoon a spokesman for Toulouse prosecutors said: “The suspect has been released. There is no case to answer.”
The alleged victim is said to have claimed “large sums of money that Issa Diop would not be ready to pay her”.
La Depeche reported that “the situation is so tense” that Diop “would have mentioned the possibility of getting rid of her indefinitely.”
The newspaper noted that Diop “has already acknowledged some of the facts, stating that his words and threats were not serious.”
The woman filed a complaint last week, but investigators had to wait until the weekend to arrest Diop, when he arrived from the UK.
A local police spokesman said Diop, who used to play for Toulouse and West Ham, was in custody at the city’s Central Police Commiserate.
Another investigating source told La Depeche: “In recent months, Issa Diop and the woman decided to split after having maintained a long relationship, during which the footballer become a father.”
She is said to have demanded “a five-figure monthly payment” to look after the child, but Diop refused to pay it.
During a trip to Senegal in June, Diop left voice messages about the situation with friends, including ex-teammate Zinedine Machach, who currently plays football in Greece.
“On one of these recordings, the Fulham player explained his recent problems with his ex-girlfriend,” the source told La Depeche.
“Above all, he confessed that he was thinking about making her disappear permanently to save money.”
This conversation, which was meant to be confidential, was finally discovered by his former girlfriend last week.
Diop told police that he only said the words once, after “yet another argument,” according to the source.
According to a police source in Toulouse, Diop was recorded by his ex-girlfriend saying: “She winds me up, I’m going to finish her!”
He thought he was solely saying the words to relatives in the southwest city – not to the woman herself – and they were not meant to be taken seriously, he has told officers.
The telephone recording of Diop’s words was the main evidence against him, but his defence lawyers said it should be ruled inadmissible.
The recording was made without his consent, and was just banter with a family member, they said.
While Diop has mentioned being “married” in the past, the source said there was no record of a formal marriage anywhere.
Instead, the couple had been together for many years, and the woman believed she was owed alimony following their split earlier this year.
Diop, who earns more than £3million a year playing for Fulham, was in France on holiday at the weekend.
The police source told the Franceinfo news outlet: “The pro footballer made death threats to some of his friends, after hearing how much was being claimed by his ex.
He said: “She winds me up, I’m going to finish her!’ while talking to the relatives, and not knowing his ex-girlfriend was secretly recording him. “
Diop signed a five-year contract with Fulham last August.
The £15m move from West Ham to Fulham was completed after negotiations that lasted a month.
A Fulham spokesperson said in a statement: “We are aware of reports emanating from France this morning regarding one of our players, Issa Diop.
“We are currently liaising with the player’s representatives to establish the facts.”
Diop was born in France to a Senegalese father and a Moroccan mother.
He started his football career at Toulouse FC, before signing for West Ham, and then transferring to Fulham.
While at West Ham in 2020, he sparked a desperate search after losing his wedding ring during a Premier League clash with Fulham.