Karim Benzema has enjoyed an incredible season for Real Madrid on the pitch, which has somewhat pushed his off-field issues into the background.
The French forward scored against Denmark last night and put in another performance to bring him closer to the Ballon D’Or. Yet the controversy surrounding his place in the French team has only just come to a close after six years of legal issues.
Benzema was declared guilty of being complicit in the blackmail of former teammate Mathieu Valbuena last October. The Real Madrid number nine had pressured Valbuena to speak with an acquaintance of his about a sex tape of Valbuena, which was being used to blackmail the former Marseille midfielder.
The striker was due to appeal the verdict and appear in court on the 30th of June and the 1st of July to do so, but has finally accepted his guilt in the matter. He has been sentenced to a year of prison, to be served only if he commits another crime, a €75,000 fine and €80,000 in damages to Valbuena.
His lawyer told L’Equipe, as covered by Sport, the Benzema was tired of the proceedings and wanted to bring them to an end. He also reasserted that the guilty verdict was a legal fact that didn’t reflect the reality, despite the guilty verdict.
The conversation around the issue has been relatively little in the media and raises further questions the apparent lack of punishment for footballers who break the law.
