Why Ex-Arsenal striker dropped appeal against jail sentence

Former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner has dropped his appeal against a 50-day jail term for assaulting a taxi driver.

Bendtner will serve the sentence at his home in Denmark, under "intensive surveillance" with an electronic tag.

The 30-year-old, who plays for Rosenborg in Norway, agreed with the attorney general in Copenhagen to drop his appeal, said lawyer Anders Nemeth.

"Even though he disagrees with the verdict, he would rather focus on his club and family," Nemeth told the BBC.

When he will serve the sentence has not yet been decided.

Rosenborg's league season finishes on 24 November and they play in the Norwegian Cup final on 2 December. They have Europa League games against Celtic on 29 November and RB Leipzig on 13 December.

"Nicklas has regretted the incident and he is taking his sentence," said the club's general manager Tove Moe Dyrhaug.

"If we make mistakes, it is important that we take responsibility for our actions. Bendtner has his employment relationship with Rosenborg. The verdict from Denmark does change that. We are supportive and take care of our employee."

CCTV FOOTAGE

The incident took place in September. At trial, the City Court of Copenhagen was shown CCTV footage in which it appeared Bendtner struck the driver in the face.

The Denmark international admitted hitting the taxi driver but said it was because he felt threatened.

He said the driver threw a bottle or a can towards him and his girlfriend when they left without paying.

Bendtner, who played for Arsenal between 2005 and 2014, scoring 45 goals in 171 games, missed out on a place in Denmark's squad for the 2018 World Cup because of injury.

He had loan spells at Sunderland, Birmingham City and Juventus while at Arsenal, before making a permanent move to German club Wolfsburg.

He moved back to England to join Championship side Nottingham Forest in September 2016 before joining Rosenborg in March 2017.