Karim Benzema is set to go on trial next year, after a French court chose to reject his appeal request over charges against supposedly blackmailing a fellow footballer over a sextape.
The Real Madrid star had hoped that the charges, levelled against him by compatriot Mathieu Valbuena, would be dropped. However, the Court of Appeal in Versailles has rejected Benzema's appeal, according to RMC Sport, and the striker will now stand trial at some point after the New Year.
GOAL! Benzema nets from a Kroos pass and Real Madrid lead 0-1 v Club America. #ClubWC
Serge Money, the lawyer of one of the other four suspects charged with the offence, told the press in the aftermath of the decision that he had been left shocked by the outcome.
He said: "We are pretty astonished because the decision is to reject our requests for the investigation to be cancelled.
"I think we will appeal to the Court of Cassation, and in any case, we will have some things to say on the substance, if Indeed this case goes to the end and is going to be sent before a court of judgment."
The accusations brought against Benzema, and the three other suspects, relate to a story that Benzema had attempted to extort money from Valbuena over a supposed sex tape that the Lyon midfielder was a part of.
Police investigating the matter believe that the 28-year-old acted as an intermediary between Valbuena and the alleged blackmailers - a move that saw Benzema placed under formal investigation and led to his arrest in November 2015.
Benzema claims that he was brought into the equation "at the request of a childhood friend who was approached by three blackmailers who were in possession of the sex tape", but it remains to be seen whether the France international is telling the truth or merely trying to cover his own back.
A conversation between Benzema and Valbuena, which apparently took place in Ocotber 2015, suggests that the forward urged the midfielder to pay up to prevent the sex tape from being made public. The transcript of the chat was made public a few days later, infuriating Valbuena's defence team and leading to the story becoming public knowledge.
Benzema was banned from speaking to Valbuena following that leak, and the media storm that followed threatened to overshadow France hosting the Euro 2016 international tournament earlier this year.
The pair have not been selected to play for Les Bleus under current boss Didier Deschamps since and, if found guilty of the charges brought against him, Benzema could be handed a jail term of around five years - a sentence that would certainly end his playing career.
Benzema scored in Real Madrid's 2-0 Club World Cup victory over Club America on Thursday to help Los Blancos progress to Sunday's final.
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