French footballers Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema accused of indulging in paid sex with an under-age prostitute Zahia Dehar

Zahia Dehar was 17 when she paid by Ribery to fly to Munich as a present for his 26th birthday. Ribery, who admitted of having slept with her, denied knowing her real age at the time of the incidence.  Benzema, who disapproved all the accusations against him, is said to have slept with Zahia in 2008 in a Paris hotel just after he received French player of the year award. 

Though none of the two players were present at the time of court proceedings but if found guilty, both the players were accountable to a criminal charge of 3 years in jail or a fine up to $50,000. Benzema’s lawyer accused Zahia of lying about her real age in order to sleep with his client. No criminal charges were recorded against her as willingly prostituting oneself is not considered a criminal offense in France.

Breaking bad: The news broke out at the time of 2010 world cup.  Other than Ribery and Benzema, six other footballers were known to have involved in this prostituion scandal.

ill-famed: After the whole incident, Zahia became a well know personality in France. She currently works as a fashion and lingerie designer.

Forgiveness: Zahia’s lawyer confirmed that she had withdrawn from the case and was not asking for any compensation.

The case was later brought down by the French court. Judge clarified that it was impossible to certify whether the footballers were aware of the real age of the prostitute. Others accused in this case received prison sentences ranging from 2 months to 3 years . by a French court.