Moroccan footballer Ilias Chair sentenced to 2 years in prison for fight

By Can Erozden

A Belgian court sentenced Queens Park Rangers' Moroccan footballer Ilias Chair to two years in prison for a 2020 fight, media reports said Friday.

The Het Nieuwsblad newspaper said Chair, 26, was sentenced by the court in Antwerp but half of his sentence was suspended following a fight after a kayaking trip where the QPR midfielder allegedly fractured a man's skull with a stone.

The victim was said to suffer a "serious skull fracture of two centimeters, (0.8 inches)" and "was unable to work as a truck driver for a long time."

He was said to be initially admitted to a French hospital in critical condition before continuing his recovery in Belgium.

The newspaper added that Chair, an Antwerp native, must also pay at least €15,000 ($16,230) in compensation to the victim.

"THE CLUB are, and have been, in regular contact with Ilias Chair’s legal team regarding a charge of assault which has been made against him," said English football club QPR. "The legal proceeding is yet to reach its conclusion. As such, the club will be making no further comment at this stage.”

This season. Chair has scored four goals and made five assists in 31 matches for QPR, who are competing in England's second-tier Championship division.

Chair amassed 13 international caps for Morocco and played against Croatia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup third-place playoff. The World Cup's surprise package, Morocco, were fourth in Qatar after a 2-1 loss to Croatia.