Benzema appeal date set

The final decision on Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema’s restraining order will be heard at a French appeal court on March 11.

The Versailles Court of Appeal confirmed in a statement on Friday that it gave itself another week to reconsider the judicial control placed on the Frenchman, who was charged with complicity to blackmail international teammate Mathieu Valbuena over an alleged sex tape on November 5.

The judge investigating the case, Nathalie Boutard, had initially barred Benzema from making contact with Valbuena but lifted the measure last month, subject to an appeal from the public prosecutor, which will be heard a week on Saturday.

The court has also postponed for a week its decision on the French Football Federation’s (FFF) request to become a civil party in the case, which would give it access to the judicial dossier.

Benzema has not appeared in any France squad since being suspended from international duty on December 10, contrary to Valbuena, as Didier Deschamps prepares to announce his squad for Euro 2016 on May 12.

Tags FFF France French Football Federation Karim Benzema Les Bleus Mathieu Valbuena
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