Ribery, Benzema in court for sex with minor - Capital Sports
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Headlines

Ribery, Benzema in court for sex with minor

RIBERY-FRANCEPARIS, France, June 18 – Two French international footballers Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema went on trial Tuesday in Paris charged with paying for sex with an underage prostitute.

Bayern Munich winger Ribery and Real Madrid forward Benzema face up to three years in prison and a maximum 45,000 euro ($55,000) fine if convicted.

Both deny the charge and the young woman involved, Zahia Dehar, has testified that the players were not aware that she was not 18 when they had sex with her in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

Although the age of consent is 15 in France, paying for sex with anyone under 18 is a crime.

Dehar, now 21, became a celebrity of sorts following the scandal, having launched her own luxury lingerie line, and has been seen as the muse of German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.

The 30-year-old Ribery did not turn up at the court as there was “no victim,” his lawyer said, seeking for the proceedings to be held behind closed doors due to their salacious nature.

Ribery has admitted having sex with Dehar but has maintained he did not know she was then under-age. Benzema meanwhile denies any encounter.

Prosecutors had sought an acquittal for the two players and Ribery’s brother-in-law, who was also implicated, but investigating judge, Andre Dando, argued that they must have been aware of her real age.

News of the investigation into Ribery and Benzema broke just before the disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign, during which unprecedented bickering within the French squad resulted in a player boycott, striker Nicolas Anelka being sent home and one of the favourites being eliminated at the group stage.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

BENZEMA-FRANCEThe badly tarnished image of “Les Bleus” has yet to fully recover from what has become known as the Knysna fiasco after the name of the squad’s South African base.

Ribery, said to be one of the ringleaders of the rebellion against coach Raymond Domenech, was given a three-match ban after the tournament but has since been welcomed back into the fold.

The trial continues till June 26.

Advertisement

More on Capital Sports

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 27 – DStv and GOtv subscribers are in for a treat of the world’s best football this week as the 2020-21...

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 25 – There is light at the end of the tunnel. After failed promises over the last three years since its...

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 6 – Gentrix Shikangwa scored with two minutes left as Vihiga Queens sailed to the final of the CECAFA regional qualifiers...

NFL

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 13 – Kenya’s history making Daniel Adongo, the first Kenyan to play in America’s National Football League (NFL), is now living...

© 2024 Capital Digital Media. Capital Group Limited. All Rights Reserved