Karim Benzema handed one-year suspended sentence in sex tape case
The verdict was issued in a case that overshadowed Karim Benzema's personal and professional life in recent years.
A French court has ruled that
Karim Benzemahas been found guilty of trying to extort money from his national team team-mate
Mathieu Valbuenaand that his case will result in a one-year suspended sentence and payment of 75,000 euros.
Judges at Benzema's defense court ruled that his motive for talking to Valbuena was not direct extortion and that he was unaware that his actions might be illegal, and suspended his sentence.
The court's verdict was announced just a few hours before tonight's match against
Sheriffin the Champions League and, of course, five days before the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris, in which he is one of the candidates to receive it.
Valbuena is a childhood friend of Benzema, and his blackmail case dates back to 2015, when some people threatened to release an immoral film about him if he did not pay them.
Benzema's involvement in the matter led to the player being accused of collaborating with extortionists, and this issue caused him to be away from the French national team for several years and also lost the championship with this team in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
He was invited to the national team again by Didier Deschamps a few months ago and has since become one of the key members of this team.
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