Ex-West Ham star Dimitri Payet investigated by Brazilian police after allegedly 'forcing lawyer mistress to drink urine and lick the floor'

As first reported in Brazil, ex-France international Payet, now playing for Vasco da Gama, is facing allegations of both physical and psychological violence from Larissa Ferrari, a 28-year-old Brazilian lawyer who claims to have been in a relationship with the player for close to a year. Local authorities have confirmed that an investigation is underway, and the matter has been registered with a specialised police station focused on supporting women in abuse cases.

In statements to both the police and the media, Ferrari described a harrowing seven-month affair with the 38-year-old footballer that allegedly took a dark turn in December 2024. She claims that after a heated argument, Payet began to "punish" her in increasingly degrading ways. Among the humiliating acts she recounted were being forced to drink her own urine, consume water from a toilet, and lick the floor.

"I want justice because he abused my psychological vulnerability to gain sexual advantage," she told AFP. "He demanded proof of love from me, which consisted of humiliation. I recorded videos in which I drank my urine, drank water from the toilet bowl, and licked the floor. I'm a lawyer, I would never have made such serious complaints lightly."

According to a police report, Larissa also accused Payet of physically assaulting her, leaving visible injuries on her body. A statement read: "The investigation is ongoing. The complaint was registered at a police station specialising in assistance to women."

Payet, once celebrated as a dazzling talent during his brief but impactful spell at West Ham, left English football in 2017 to return to Marseille before joining Vasco da Gama in 2023.

Larissa first met Payet in August 2024, shortly after he relocated to Brazil. She explained that their relationship became serious following her divorce and claimed their connection intensified due to emotional vulnerability on both sides.

Larissa wrote a statement which read: "One thing I want to make clear is that it was never about money. There was no need for it. There's not much I can say because there's no explanation or anything to justify it. In fact, the last time I went to Rio, I went by bus.

"Our intention, initially, wasn't for us to become so attached to each other, but we ended up getting very involved. We got very close because I got divorced and he gets lonely a lot too. With so much closeness, the meetings became more frequent. I would go to Dimitri's house every 12 days or so, and stay for three or four days. He has also always been very affectionate towards me, both in person and through messages. And with so much affection exchanged, it was impossible not to become attached to each other."

She apologised to her family for the emotional turmoil caused and revealed her decision to take a step back from social media to recover in private. “Right now, I need peace,” she wrote.

Payet has yet to publicly respond to the serious claims made against him. It remains to be seen if Vasco takes any action on Payet until he is cleared of the serious allegations against him.