Real Madrid striker, Karim Benzema will face trial in October for his alleged involvement in blackmailing former France teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape, prosecutors have said.
The French man will stand trial from October 20 to 22 on the charge of complicity in attempted blackmail, the Versailles prosecutor’s office said.
Four other people will also stand trial in the case.
The Real Madrid striker is accused of pressuring Valbuena in 2015 to pay blackmailers who threatened to reveal an intimate video in which Valbuena featured.
Benzema has been banned from the national team since November 2015 because of his suspected involvement in the scandal.
The investigators who charged Benzema believe he was approached by a childhood friend that year to act as an intermediary and convince Valbuena to deal directly with the blackmailers. Instead, Valbuena informed the police.
When the story broke, Benzema faced huge criticism and then Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he had “no place” in the national team.
Benzema, who is of Algerian descent, appeared 81 times for France and scored 27 goals before he was kicked out of the national team.
By Terry W.