It’s still not clear how involved Karim Benzema was in the scandal that involved his former France teammate Matthieu Valbuena and blackmail around a sex tape, but there was enough for him to be found complicit.
He did avoid a direct prison sentence as his one-year sentence was suspended, while the €75k fine is relatively small fry for a player who earns millions a year.
It’s clear that Benzema still wants to clear his name over this, and ESPN have reported that he’s been granted an appeal and a two-day hearing is set to take place in July.
It’s currently unknown if he’ll attend the hearing but he’s not expected to have any commitments with France or Real Madrid at the time, while he also regained his place in the French national team and there’s never been any suggestion that Real were going to get rid of him over this, so this really just comes down to his reputation more than anything.
It’s confirmed that Benzema has always denied any wrongdoing in the affair and it may have just been a case of knowing the wrong people, but he will get his chance to prove his innocence.