Underage Prostitutes and Studs Up Stamps. A Bad Week For Frank Ribery

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has not had a good week.

Any week which starts with your involvement in a police investigation into underage prostitution becoming public knowledge is, by almost any criteria, a bad one.

Ribery has compounded the offence he is alleged to have committed with a 17-year-old Moroccan prostitute last year by being sent off for a vicious stamp on Lyon's Lisandro.

The home leg of Bayern Munich's Champions League semifinal with Lyon should have provided the canvass for Ribery to impress his considerable skills upon the consciousnesses of the clubs preparing multimillion-pound bids for him this summer. 

Instead, the French international left the sort of indelible impression that could well deter the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid from potentially blowing their entire preseason budget on him.

It all began so well for Ribery and Bayern. The German side were a rampant attacking force, and Ribery and fellow winger Arjen Robben were at the heart of it. Ribery showed the sort of refreshing willingness to run at defenders which has made him into one of the most sought-after players in the European game.

He was disappointed to pull a shot wide of the Lyon keeper's near post after a mazy run which left defenders trailing in his wake, but Bayern had the upper hand, and the stage was set for Ribery to start making headlines in the right section of the newspapers.

Instead, inexplicably, after overrunning the ball, Ribery went in high and hard on Lyon's Lisandro. His foot went over the ball and his studs were high, leaving the referee little option but to produce a straight red.

The crowd were silenced as the implications set in. Bayern Munich would be bereft of their star player not just for the remainder of the match, but for the entire remaining Champions League campaign.

A straight red for violent conduct carries a mandatory three-match ban, which effectively ends Ribery's interest in this season's Champions League, regardless of whether Bayern progress to the final.

The initial reaction was outrage that a referee could have so catastrophically spoiled what was shaping up to be a classic European night for the home side. However, replays emphatically vindicated referee Roberto Rosetti's decision—Ribery's studs were up, and his foot was high. It was an uncharacteristically malicious challenge, and the week's revelations were clearly weighing heavily on Ribery's shoulders.

Even if Ribery is found to be legally blameless for the incident in Paris, it is still likely to have a profound effect on his family life.

Ribery supposedly admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old French Moroccan prostitute he met in a brothel in Paris. It is legal to procure the services of sex workers in France provided they are at least 18. Given that the girl was only underage by a matter of months, it is likely that, were Ribery to be found guilty, the consequences would not be too severe.

The moral objections to Ribery's alleged misdemeanour might be relatively minor were he single. Ribery is very much a married man, though; he even converted to Islam to marry his French Algerian wife, and the couple have two daughters.    

Even if Ribery never faces any charges, his very involvement in such a scandal severely tarnishes his reputation. This may well be enough to deter any clubs which are currently undecided on whether to shell out a prospective £50 million for the winger.

Ribery's skills may be exquisite, but he is certainly not conventionally handsome and has yet to attract the same level of interest from advertising executives as some of the other so-called "galacticos" of world football.

Real Madrid allegedly decided against buying Ronaldinho because the Brazilian was too ugly. Such considerations might have been secondary had any decision revolved around Ribery's undoubted ability. Now that his character has been called into question, Real Madrid might be more reluctant to reach for their cheque book.

A good World Cup would put Ribery right back in the shop window, but if France do not succeed in South Africa, he may find that the footballing world is no longer at his feet to the same extent which it was just a week ago.