Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema Charged with Soliciting Underage Prostitute

Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema may be prosecuted for crimes they allegedly committed back in 2008 and 2009.

The news comes from the AFP (via Yahoo! Sports):

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French international footballers Franck Ribery and Karim Benzemaare to face trial for allegedly soliciting an underage prostitute, judicial sources said on Tuesday.

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The underage woman in question is Zahia Dehar, who is currently 20 years of age. But she told police she was paid to have relations with Benzema in 2008 and Ribery in 2009. That would put her at 16 and 17 at the time, which makes the acts, if true, illegal on all parts. Although, Dehar said that neither man knew she was underage at the time. 

The news of this affair was made known back in 2010, and it was just one of many events that led to France's huge collapse in the World Cup.

Now that the French football team has begun to recover from that truly forgettable tournament, this situation could once again have a negative effect on the team, as Ribery and Benzema are major players for their squad.

Not only are they huge contributors for the French, but they are also dominant forces for top club teams. Ribery is coming off a 12-goal, 12-assist season with Bayern Munich, while Benzema scored 21 goals in 34 appearances for La Liga champions Real Madrid.

If they are proven guilty, they may not be able to continue putting forth those stats for their respective teams or country.

According to Yahoo!, they are subject to a possible three-year jail sentence or a €45,000 fine. 

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