Benzema on trial in French sex tape blackmail case

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has gone on trial in France. He is accused of complicity in an attempt to blackmail fellow footballer Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape found on his phone.

Benzema has ridiculed the charge against him as a “masquerade” and did not appear at the court in Versailles. He has denied wrongdoing.

The case dates back to June 2015, when the two footballers were at a France training camp.

The saga rocked French football and both players lost their team places, but Benzema has since returned to the France team.

The charges are punishable by up to five years in prison and a 75,000 euro fine.