The French soccer star Karim Benzema has to answer in court because of his role in a sex video affair. Him will »Complicity in the attempted blackmail« his former national teammate Mathieu Valbuena accused, said the prosecutor of Versailles.
Benzema reportedly put pressure on his then teammate Mathieu Valbuena in 2015 to respond to money claims from blackmailers who threatened to publish an intimate video of him. Allegedly he acted on behalf of a childhood friend who is said to have been an accomplice of the blackmailer. Four other suspects have to answer in court for attempted extortion.
33-year-old Benzema, who has worked for Real Madrid plays and is one of the best footballers in the world, has not been nominated for the French national team since the affair over five years ago. Among other things, he missed the 2016 European Championship and the 2018 World Championship, where the French selection even won the World Cup. The same applies to Valbuena, who is now under contract with Olympiacos Piraeus. Previously, he was considered an undisputed regular player in France.
Benzema speaks of a “major misunderstanding”
Valbuena himself had accused Benzema of him in a newspaper interview »indirectly« to have asked to pay the hush money. Benzema spoke of one »big misunderstanding«that he only wanted to warn his teammate. Since then he has repeatedly affirmed his innocence.
Benzema’s lawyer Sylvain Cormier was not very surprised by the decision. She be »as absurd as it is predictable« been, said Cormier, accusing the public prosecutor of having stiffened on his client’s guilt. Valbuena’s advisor described the decision as »logical order« the extensive investigation.
