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Real Madrid's Karim Benzema To Face Trial For Alleged 'Sex-Tape' Blackmail

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema To Face Trial For Alleged 'Sex-Tape' Blackmail

Zinedine Zidane has backed his player in the situation.

Max Miller

Max Miller

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema is set to face trial over his alleged involvement in an attempt to blackmail former France teammate Matthieu Valbuena.

Benzema is suspected of pressuring Valbuena into paying blackmailers who threatened him with an intimate video. The Versaille prosecutor's office has confirmed that he will face the charge of conspiracy to attempt blackmail.

A date for the trial has not been set, and four others will face trial with the football star - reports The Guardian.

Investigators believe that Benzema was approached by a childhood friend and asked to act as an intermediary to convince Valbuena to speak with the blackmailers. Valbuena went to the police.

Karim Benzema Mattheu Valbuena
Karim Benzema Mattheu Valbuena

Benzema's lawyer, Sylvain Cormer, told AP: "This decision is as much absurd as it was predictable," and it was "persecution" of his client.

Benzema has been ruled out of playing for France since the allegations emerged in 2015, despite being a key part of a hugely successful Real Madrid team.

His last game was a 4-0 win over Armenia in October 2015, where he scored twice to take his record to 27 goals in 81 appearances.

Los Blancos manager Zinedine Zidane has backed his player, telling the press: "Benzema's case? I am totally behind him. It's not an easy situation, but he's focused and wants to make people happy with his football. I hope it's resolved fast."

Benzema denies the allegations, and has argued that a police officer used dishonest methods to bring him into the case - according to the BBC.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, Football, Karim Benzema, Real Madrid