Karim Benzema's long-standing blackmail court case has finally received a verdict, and unfortunately for the Frenchman, it is bad news!
The Real Madrid superstar has been found guilty of conspiring to blackmail former teammate Mathieu Valbuena with a sex tape involving the Olympiacos ace, which was stolen from his phone. As punishment, the Blancos sensation has been handed a one-year suspended jail sentence and has been slapped with a €75,000 fine for his role in this criminal plot.
This case dates back to 2015 when Valbuena, who shared a dressing room with Benzema in the national team set-up, fell victim to an extortion attempt, with criminals threatening to release a sexually-explicit video featuring the 37-year-old and his partner if they were not paid off.
Benzema eventually ended up approaching his countryman about the sex tape, which sparked this whole situation. Karim argues that he was merely trying to help his teammate "manage" the issue but was eventually accused of being the middleman in this scam, which involved a childhood friend of the former Lyon striker.
Once this scandal hit the news, the Bernabeu ace was banned from the national team, with the forward only returning from his Les Bleus exile during last summer's Euro 2020 tournament. Since then, he has been a starter for Deschamps' side, guiding them to their recent UEFA Nations League victory.
Karim's lawyers have vowed to appeal this verdict, saying (as per Goal): "We are quite flabbergasted by this judgment. An appeal is necessary. He will be exonerated at the height of this appeal."
What will this mean for his career? Little to nothing is the forecast as French FA president Noel Le Graet has already stated that the verdict of this case would have no bearing on the Ballon d'Or candidate's spot in Deschamps' lineup.
The player is currently in Moldova ahead of Real Madrid's upcoming UEFA Champions League tie. Los Blancos are set to do battle with Sheriff, the Divizia Națională side that registered a historic 2-1 win at Santiago Bernabeu not too long ago, as La Liga's top scorer appears all but destined to start.
