Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Benzema handed 1-year suspended sentence in sex tape case

France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been given a 1-year suspended jail sentence and 75,000 euros ($84,000) fine in a sex tape case that rocked French soccer

Via AP news wire
Wednesday 24 November 2021 09:19 GMT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema was given a 1-year suspended jail sentence and 75,000 euros ($84,000) fine Wednesday in a sex tape case that rocked French soccer.

Benzema was found guilty of being involved in an attempt in 2015 to blackmail France teammate Mathieu Valbuena

The Versailles court decision is unlikely to affect Benzema’s immediate sporting future. The forward is regarded as one of the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or award on Nov. 29 in Paris following an impressive season with Madrid. French federation president Noel Le Great has already said Benzema would be allowed to keep playing with France even if found guilty.

Benzema's lawyers said he will appeal.

Benzema, who denied wrongdoing, didn’t attend the trial in Versailles last month and was absent for the verdict. The four other defendants were also found guilty and did not appear at the court Wednesday.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in