Ilias Chair

These are the basic facts of the case, which Chair and the public prosecutor agree on.

While Chair, then 22, was on his holidays between seasons with QPR, he was part of a small group on a kayaking trip in southern Belgium’s Ardennes Forest. The excursion finished in the French village of Bazeilles, right on the border between the two countries.

Afterwards, participants were meant to be catching a bus back to their start point in Belgium.

The alleged victim, identified only as Niels T, was waiting for the same bus, with his sister and another friend.

When it pulled up, a member of Chair’s party, named as Nora H, pushed in front of Niels T’s group, claiming that because they had just missed an earlier departure, they should be at the front of the line this time.

An argument ensued — and quickly escalated. According to Belgium’s public prosecutor, there was “hitting, scratching, and biting”.

At the end of it, Niels T lay on the ground — with a serious skull fracture measuring 2cm (three-quarters of an inch). He was immediately taken to hospital in critical condition, and claims he is still living with the consequences of the incident, having been forced to give up his job as a truck driver.

The Belgian public prosecutor claims that Chair inflicted the blow, hitting Niels T over the head with a stone.

Chair maintains his innocence and denied, through his lawyer, he was the one who lashed out, injuring Niels T.

Chair, right, playing for QPR in midweek (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

The incident was investigated by the Belgian police over the intervening years, with their French counterparts initially just taking down the names of those involved — and has developed from a civil case into a criminal one, where the Belgian state was attempting to prosecute the QPR player.

In court this January, the public prosecutor argued Chair had failed to properly engage with the investigation.

“Ilias Chair has been invited for questioning several times, but his lawyers have always stated that he was not able to come to Belgium,” the prosecutor said in court. “His activities as a professional footballer would make it impossible to be interrogated. A year after, he sent a written statement.”

They also added that numerous witnesses had identified Chair as the individual who struck the relevant blow.

In response, Chair’s then-lawyer Alen Cilic argued that there was not enough evidence to identify him as the attacker. He also said that the victim’s group sought the confrontation, and that the victims, with their claim, were aware of Chair’s wealth as a footballer. This was denied by Niels T’s lawyer.

On February 22, the court handed down a verdict. Chair was found guilty, and sentenced to two years in prison, half of it suspended. He was also to pay the victim €15,000 (£12,800; $16,400) in compensation. The player’s brother, Jaber, was also sentenced to six months in prison for his role in the fracas.

Despite the sentence, Chair, who was in Belgium for the closing proceedings, was allowed to return to England later that day (he had been due to attend an event that evening in London). He then trained with QPR on the Friday, before being named in the squad to play fellow relegation candidates Rotherham United the following afternoon.

For many, his presence on the pitch brought confusion. Why and how was he free to play after being found guilty and sentenced to jail?

In Belgian law, those convicted of a crime have the right to appeal — though under the country’s justice system, this is better understood as the case being escalated to a higher court, made after what is known as a ‘first-instance decision’. If that is done promptly, straight after the initial sentence, in the majority of cases the alleged perpetrator is free to continue their ordinary lives until the legal process is exhausted.

In Chair’s case, that process is expected to continue for around another 12 months, during which he is free to play football. His brother is also contesting the decision against him.

Sources close to Chair, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, say he is confident of success at the higher court. The player has changed lawyers since the initial trial, with the verdict seen as a worst-case scenario — though if the appeal fails, they expect the most likely situation to be for Chair to have to serve three to four months.

They also acknowledge the player and his legal team could have dealt with matters better in the initial proceedings, with a perceived lack of contrition named by the court as an aggravating factor.

Chair has not spoken publicly about his situation since details first emerged in January.

QPR have had five different managers since the incident occurred, with the coaching staff of at least one of them unaware of any legal case involving the player. However, since last month’s sentencing, attention has squarely turned to their longtime playmaker.

The day after Chair was found guilty, and with the sentence reported by the international press, QPR released a statement in an attempt to clarify the situation.

“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,” it read. “The legal proceeding is yet to reach its conclusion. As such, the club will be making no further comment at this stage.”

As it stands, QPR’s position is that Chair cannot be deemed to have committed a crime until the legal process ends, and as such, remains available for selection. However, if he is found guilty in a higher court — being convicted, in the English sense — it is understood they will revisit that view.

Picking Chair is dependent on legal and moral questions — but it is undeniable that QPR are also in a position where they need him on the pitch. This has been a difficult season for the west London side, who sacked Gareth Ainsworth, a fan favourite following seven years as a player there from 2003, as manager in October. Though they have won three and drawn one of their past four games under successor Cifuentes, they are 19th in the 24-team table, one point above the third and final relegation position.

It is understood QPR have never seriously entertained the notion of not picking Chair since this story emerged — and rejected offers from clubs including fellow Championship side Birmingham City and Trabzonspor of the Turkish top flight in the January window, seeing him as part of their long-term plans.