Story via Caughtoffside
It appears that nobody is going to come out of the Mathieu Valbuena blackmail trial with much dignity, but it does appear that Karim Benzema should avoid actually going to prison if he is found guilty.
As the trial has unfolded it appears that a few of the defendants could be in serious trouble, with one focusing more on making fun of Valbuena’s size rather than trying to clear his name.
Clearly Benzema does have a personal connection to some of these people and it’s known that he’s a childhood friend with one of them, but actually proving that he took part in the conspiracy to blackmail is something completely different.
The announcements today suggest they are going to push to secure a guilty vedict for the Real Madrid star, but the prosecutor is only looking for a suspended jail term and a fine.
The €75k fine would cripple most of us but it’s not even a weekly salary for Benzema so that won’t hurt him much, while the suspended prison sentence won’t actually see him serve any time.
Interestingly there are still suggestions that the President of the tribunal could still decide to push for a more severe sentence if he’s found guilty.
If he is found guilty then that could hamper his push for the Ballon d’Or as it’s not a great look for the award, but at least it may bring this sorry saga to some kind of conclusion.
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