What’s the story?
The Supreme Court of Hague has sentenced Moroccan kickboxer Badr Hari to two years in jail for assault and disturbing the peace in Amsterdam. The boxer has been told by lawyers to only expect only around six months of jail time despite the ruling.
The court convicted Hari on two counts of aggravated assault for attacking Dutch businessman Koen Everink during a party.
According to reports from the dutch court, Hari attacked Everink with broken glass during a party at the Amsterdam Arena and later in a little nightclub in Amsterdam. While Hari wasn't present during the sentencing, he will have to return to the Netherlands to serve his time before returning to the cage.
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In case you didn’t know..
Badri Hari just happens to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s best friend and is the main reason that the Real Madrid frontman was jetting to and from North Africa during 2016. Hari shot to fame after it was discovered that he was indeed the Portuguese striker’s best friend and has since then, appeared in multiple Instagram photos with the star.
They were even rumoured to be in a relationship together.
Much to the chagrin of Real Madrid, Hari was the reason that their star man was travelling regularly to Morocco and was also the reason his performances on the pitch were being questioned. Florentino Perez then put a stop to his main striker’s trips and even spoke to the player personally regarding the situation.
The heart of the matter...
The first instance of criminal proceedings had already taken place in October 2015, but it was only today that a judgement was passed by the Supreme Court in Hague. Hari has already spent eight months in jail.
It has been reported that the aggression against Everink was triggered by the insults directed towards Hari’s then girlfriend Estelle Cruyff, who is the niece of the great Johan Cruyff and Ruud Guilt’s ex-wife.
The new lawsuit is, in fact, an appeal by the kickboxer after his conviction for the same offence, for which he has already served eight months and is currently serving the rest on probation. He was convicted of the offence in October 2015 and sentenced to two years.
What’s next?
Hari will be jailed for the next six months and will also have to pay a fine of €45000 in damages. As for Everink, he was found stabbed to death in his house but Badr Hari is not a suspect in his murder.
Sportskeeda’s take
The sentence meted out should be taken at face value and whether the person in question is the friend of a famous footballer or not should have no bearing on how the matter is perceived.
In this case, it would be interesting to see how Hari’s conviction affects Ronaldo on the field. Will his performances dip or will he use this as motivation to carry his side to the top? Only time will tell.
