Benzema faces verdict in French 'sex tape' trial
A French court Wednesday issues its
verdict on whether Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema conspired to blackmail his
former France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena with a sex tape, in a case that
tarnished both their careers.
The allegations against Benzema,
which date to 2015, led to him being cast out of the French squad for five
years before being brought back into the fold in May in time to play in Euro
2020.
But even a guilty verdict would not
likely lead to a further banishment, with French football federation president
Noel Le Graet saying Benzema could keep his place in the national team even if
convicted.
Prosecutors are calling for him to
be given a 10-month suspended sentence.
A conviction would nonetheless cast
a pall over a stunning comeback to the national team by the 33-year-old.
Benzema has scored nine times since
being called back by France manager Didier Deschamps for the European
Championship, making him the fifth-highest scorer in the history of Les Bleus.
At club level, Benzema is also
having a sensational season, putting him in the running for the Ballon d'Or, to
be announced on November 29th, which selects the world's best player.
He will not be present in court in
Versailles for the verdict in his trial, which will be announced a few hours
before Real Madrid take on Sheriff Tiraspol in a Champions League game in
Moldova.
Valbuena, who plays for Greek club
Olympiakos, will also be absent.
- 'Not the same person' -
Benzema was one of five people put
on trial last month over the attempt to blackmail Valbuena with a sexually
explicit video stolen from his phone.
Benzema is not accused of being
behind the extortion attempt but rather of conspiring with the suspected
blackmailers by putting pressure on Valbuena to pay them off.
The Lyon native claims he was only
trying to help his fellow player when he approached him at the French team's
training centre in October 2015 and told him he could help him find someone to
"manage" the issue of the video.
No money was discussed but Valbuena
has described Benzema's tone as "very insistent".
After the conversation, Benzema
phoned a childhood friend also being tried over the extortion attempt to say
"he's not taking us seriously" – remarks seen
by the prosecution as proof of Benzema's implication in the plot.
Testifying at the trial, Valbuena
said the affair, which also cost him his place in the France team, left him
feeling "frightened" and fearful for his career.
"Benzema is not a good
Samaritan who just wanted to help out," prosecutor Segolene Mares accused.
"No-one ever said he was
kind... but that's not a criminal offence," the striker's lawyer Antoine
Vey told the court, calling for the case against the striker to be thrown out
for lack of evidence.
Another of Benzema's lawyers,
Sylvain Cormier, portrayed the case as being driven by Valbuena's
"jealousy" of his former team-mate.
"His reasoning is simple: 'Me,
I was sidelined (from the team) and never brought back and declined in sporting
terms while there is Karim Benzema who is flying high in global
football'," lawyer Sylvain Cormier told reporters.
Benzema's impressive performances
since returning to the French team have given him a new-found popularity with
French fans.
"He's no longer the same
person, he's matured", Deschamps said last month.