Karim Benzema to Stand Trial for Alleged Involvement in Sex Tape Scandal

Real Madrid star Karim Benzema will stand trial after being charged with conspiracy to attempt blackmail, according to Samuel Petrequin of the Associated Press. 

A trial date has not yet been set.

Benzema was initially charged in 2015 after being accused of playing a role in blackmailing former France international teammate Mathieu Valbuena, who reportedly appeared in a sex tape.

Investigators believe Benzema was approached by a childhood friend to "act as an intermediary and persuade Valbuena to deal directly with the blackmailers." He was also suspected of pressuring Valbuena to pay the blackmailers.

Valbuena went to the police instead, leading to charges for Benzema and a night spent in jail in 2015.

After the initial charges, Benzema was left out of the French national team squad, and he was not part of the squad's run to the World Cup title in 2018 and hasn't played with the team since 2015. He has remained an elite player for his club, tallying 261 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid over 12 seasons.

Benzema has denied any wrongdoing in the case.

"This decision is as much absurd as it was predictable," his lawyer, Sylvain Cormier, told the AP.