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| Benzema |
Accused of blackmailing a fellow France international footballer, Real Madrid star Karim Benzema has been given the " full support" of the club's president Florentino Perez.
French
police are looking into whether Benzema played a part in an alleged
attempt to extort money from Marseille player Mathieu Valbuena.
The allegations center around a purported sex tape, a source close to the investigation told AFP.
Benzema
was back in Madrid Thursday evening, where he trained and held a
meetting with Perez, who "expressed his confidence that his actions
were in good faith and that he is completely innocent."
"The
club values and recognises the professional commitment, the displays of
camaraderie with his teammates and the impeccable attitude he has shown
as a core member of the first team squad for the more than six seasons
that he has been a part of Real Madrid," added the Real statement.
Benzema
is under investigation for "complicity in blackmailing and
participating in criminal association with intent to organize a crime,"
according to a statement from the Versailles prosecutor's office.
The
statement used the French term "mise en examen"; a legal status that
allows prosecutors to investigate someone accused of criminal activity
for up to two years.
Benzema's attorney Sylvain Cormier says
the 27-year-old has "taken no part in this blackmail attempt," and that
the case has gone public "in a fallacious manner."
"His heart goes to his friend Mathieu Valbuena," Cormier said in a statement broadcast on BMTV.
Benzema appeared before a Versailles judge Thursday morning after being held overnight.
