Arturo Vidal fined €800,000 for nightclub assault conviction

Arturo Vidal’s day in court has come and gone: Bayern Munich’s erstwhile warrior, now at FC Barcelona, Vidal was summoned to appear before the district court of Munich on Wednesday for an alleged assault that took place at the Crown Club, a nightclub in Munich, a year ago after Vidal and his brother Sandrino celebrated a victory against Mainz at Oktoberfest.

According to the report by TZ, Vidal failed to appear at the hearing, claiming that he was “prevented by professional reasons”: he was namely at the Estadio Corregiadora in Mexico the night before, where the Chilean national team defeated El Tri 1-0.

The plaintiff, Mehmet E., was struck over the head by a massive bottle of vodka, suffering a serious cut and a traumatic brain injury that forced him to take two weeks of sick leave. He appeared Wednesday as a witness. His attorney further cited video recordings of the attack, summarizing, “The evidence is clear.”

Vidal thus was convicted in absentia and sentenced to pay a fine of €800,000 in €10,000 installments over 80 days. His brother Sandrino, who failed to appear without offering an excuse, was sentenced to payments of €150 over 120 days, totalling €18,000. Vidal’s father-in-law was sentenced to pay €36,000 when he failed to appear at his own hearing in early August.

The Vidal brothers have two weeks to appeal the sentence. It is unclear what might happen if they refuse to pay. The court could potentially issue a warrant for their arrest.

— No word whether Berni or Emma Bee were summoned as witnesses.