French international footballers Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema will
face trial for soliciting sexual relationships with a minor, which
prosecutors say occurred when they had paid-for sex in 2008 and 2009
with an under-age prostitute who has since become a household name.
Ribery and Benzema, who play for Bayern Munich and Real Madrid
respectively, have strenuously denied any wrongdoing. A prosecutor had
initially requested the charges been dropped, but was overruled by a
senior judicial official, who has ordered a trial.
The woman, known as ‘Zahia’ has become a minor celebrity in France,
where she has launched her own lingerie brand. Now 23, she told the
soccer players she was an adult at the time of the alleged offenses,
investigators say. Prostitution is legal in France so long as both
parties to the transaction are over 18.
