Charged with rape, Patrick Bruel banned from attending 2026 World Cup

Patrick Bruel was charged on Wednesday with “rape”, “attempted rape”, “sexual assault” and “sexual harassment”. The 67-year-old singer was released under judicial supervision, with a ban on leaving French territory and an obligation to surrender his passport to the authorities.

This measure will notably prevent him from traveling to the United States, Canada or Mexico for the 2026 World Cup, having followed the French team’s journey in Russia in 2018, all the way to victory against Croatia in the final.

Close to Didier Deschamps, Bruel had sent him a personal letter in the pages of Le Parisien just hours before that final. “You must be very happy, but anxious because I know you and I know that happiness can now only rhyme with victory. And even if your modesty takes over, you must be torn”, he wrote to the French national team manager.

Patrick Bruel’s passion for football dates back to his teenage years. At fifteen, while playing for Malakoff, he had the opportunity to face Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes, before ultimately choosing a career in music.