Karim Benzema formerly the star player on the French national soccer team, will most probably never play for France again. He has just received a suspended sentence and was fined about $100,000 for his role in a case of blackmail. Perhaps, not being able to represent his country is the biggest disgrace of all, for it will not go away.
Complicity
The court case is closer to an ordeal than a trial as it started in 2015. It says as much about a lack of character on the part of Benzema as a lack of ethics. For the record, Benzema did not even show up at his trial. He claims he is training for a match with his Real Madrid team.
The fact that he tried to blackmail a teammate is almost secondary to his stupidity and lack of judgment. Also, for the record is the fact that he managed to rope four others into his little game. They also received “conditional” jail sentences.
I used the word “stupidity” above with intention and I can argue that Benzema was the dumbest of them all.
One of Benzema’s teammates decided to shoot a sexually explicit video of himself and a woman on his cellphone. Why, I could not guess. The teammate, Valbuena, then went out and bought a new cellphone. However, the teammate was clueless as to how to download videos from his old phone to the new.
He asked a “friend” for help. The friend, viewed the videos and pictures and when he saw the sex video, he hatched a plan to make some money. It is important to mention that at no time was this a joke; they all had a desire to extort. Valbuena was playing for another French team at that time and was making a lucrative salary. The friend then worked his “soccer circle” connections and found another conspirator with a connection to Benzema.
Posing
Once the connection with Benzema was established, they cooked up a deal to blackmail Valbuena. The “blackmailers” started to threaten him and demanded money – or else. What the group didn’t count on was Valbuena contacting the police. The police initiated an investigation.
Meanwhile, Valbuena turned to the person who was his friend, Benzema. This was back in October 2015. Benzema warned Valbuena not to mess with the criminals even though he was in on it with the other conspirators.
According to ESPN (November 24, 2021):
“[In court] Benzema denied any wrongdoing, saying he was trying to help resolve the situation and warning his teammate to ‘be careful,’ describing the blackmailers as ‘serious criminals.’”
The police quickly realized that Benzema, the middleman, was assisting in the blackmail. As the law closed in, Benzema was nabbed. The legal wrangling over this case has taken place for years. Though Benzema insists he was being no more than a friend, he has consistently been caught in a lie when placed on the stand.
As the case neared its conclusion it was evident that Benzema would not see a jail cell and though the fine would be imposing to most of us, as a professional athlete he will quickly recoup those losses. What he cannot get back is his disgrace and reputation. Choices do have consequences.
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