Karim Benzema of Real Madrid during the La Liga Santander match between Granada v Real Madrid. Photo: David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has been handed a one-year suspended sentence after he was found guilty of blackmailing a French teammate with a sex tape. The allegations date back to 2015, when prosecutors say Benzema approached Matthew Valbuena at a France training camp and encouraged his teammate to pay off four men who had gained possession of an alleged sex tape featuring Valbuena.
By that point, however, French police had already begun an investigation into the blackmail. They would later discover messages from Benzema that appeared to suggest he was working with the other men to extort Valbuena. In one taped conversation, the striker was recorded telling one of the men, “[Valbuena] is not taking us seriously.”Benzema, 33, has always maintained he was only trying to help his teammate find a solution to the situation. The incident led to both Benzema and Valbuena being exiled from the France squad. Valbuena has never played for France again, while Benzema was finally recalled for France’s Euro 2020 squad earlier this year.Along with the suspended jail term, Benzema must pay a fine of €75,000 (£63,000).
