Wissam Ben Yedder, the France forward playing on after denying rape charge

Wissam Ben Yedder’s shot had not come to rest in the back of the net before a momentarily silent Beaujoire Stadium erupted into a unified chorus of whistles and scorn.

With every step the 33-year-old Monaco forward took back towards the halfway line, arms in the air celebrating, the crowd’s disdain grew louder.

Before Ben Yedder’s goal, his fourth in the first three matches of the new Ligue 1 season, the boos that had greeted his name when the line-ups were read out before kick-off had faded. His first couple of touches in Friday’s match were met with a venomous reaction, but then Nantes scored after five minutes and the home crowd were jubilant.

At times, the jeering felt contrived. There were no specific anti-Ben Yedder chants, nor were there any critical banners in the stands or outside the ground.

In that sense, the seemingly unpalatable situation has become acceptable.

Last month, Ben Yedder was accused of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault. He spent 48 hours in custody with his younger brother, who faced the same accusations, where they were questioned by police in the Mediterranean resort of Nice.

The allegations, which are denied, were made by two women, aged 19…