“Today, we could have had this confrontation. “ At the helm of the 7e Chamber of the Criminal Court of Versailles, Mathieu Valbuena deplored the absence, in the courtroom, of one of the defendants: his ex-teammate in the French football team, Karim Benzema, 33, prosecuted for “complicity of attempted blackmail ”.
The latter did not appear in court for “Professional motive”, to know “Two important games this week” with his club Real Madrid, as recalled by his lawyer Antoine Vey, Mathieu Valbuena, 37, was therefore, on Wednesday October 20, the main protagonist of the first day of the trial of the blackmail case with the “sextape” exerted on him, in 2015 .
“Victim” of this failed scam attempt, the former Blues winger recalled the consequences of this scandal on his career: “It hurt me and my family a lot. After this story, I was never able to set foot in the France team and not participate in Euro 2016 organized in France. “
A childhood friend of Benzema
The footballer will never forget this evening of October 6, 2015. That day, his teammate Karim Benzema invites him to his room, in Clairefontaine (Yvelines), headquarters of the France team, to talk to him about a video of a sexual nature featuring him with a woman he claims to have seen.
“He insisted on making me meet someone he introduced as his brother, without giving his identity, so that he could solve my problem, recounted Mr. Valbuena. He promised on his daughter’s face that there would be no copy of the video. I told myself that Karim was part of the blackmail. I have the impression that he wanted to scare me and put pressure on me. We do not live in the world of Care Bears: it was impossible for me to meet her trusted man for free. “
At the time, Mr. Valbuena was still unaware that “This man of confidence” that Mr. Benzema wants him to meet is Karim Zenati, childhood friend and employee of the Real Madrid star. The latter, already convicted in the past for “aggravated theft and drug trafficking”, is referred to the criminal court of Versailles, like three other defendants, for “attempted blackmail”.
In August 2015, Mr. Zenati got closer to the Marseillais Mustapha Zouaoui alias Sata, who gravitates in the microcosm of professional football. Under the guise of wanting ” make a deal “ with Mr. Zenati in the sale of luxury cushions, Mr. Zouaoui asks him to play the intermediary with Mr. Benzema so that the latter evokes the existence of the “sextape” with Mr. Valbuena.
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