Angers striker Farid El Melali has been released from police custody and faces an appearance in court after admitting to masturbating in the courtyard of his building complex.

The Algeria international was spotted by onlookers during the act on the evening of Monday, May 4, seemingly being caught looking through the window of a neighbour on the ground floor.

It is said that the 23-year-old, who lives in downtown Angers, was also seen touching himself inappropriately two weeks prior to being taken into custody on Tuesday.

El Melali, who only recently extended his contract with the Ligue 1 club until 2023, will soon be tried in a pre-conviction appearance (CRPC), essentially a guilty plea, and will face a fine, according to reports.

The forward, who can play anywhere across the front line of attack, fully admits to his indiscretion and will not contest the charges brought against him.

However, French media claim that El Melali's lawyers will insist that their client was unaware that the female neighbour in question could see him as part of their legal defence.

The scandal is not the only one Angers have had to deal with in recent times, with the club having appointed Fabrice Favetto-Bon as acting club president while Said Chabane fights three charges of sexual assault brought against him.

Favetto-Bon will formally take over on May 29, with the time between acting as a transitional period as Chabane incrementally hands over full responsibility of the day-to-day running of the club.

Chabane, who bought the club in 2011, had been placed under police custody on February 5 to answer to the allegations brought before him – counts of aggravated sexual assault and sexual harassment.

A formal legal complaint had been filed against the businessman by an individual on Angers' payroll in January, while two other victims are now said to have been identified by investigators.

Chabane's replacement, Favetto-Bon, is not new to the football world, having held a position as Paris Saint-Germain's marketing director before moving to Le Mans as general director between the years of 2005 and 2010.

goal.com