Real Madrid star Karim Benzema was handed a one-year suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay a fine of 75,000 euros (about $84,000) Wednesday for his involvement in a 2015 blackmail case that derailed the French forward’s international career for more than five years.
Benzema, who was charged with complicity in an attempted scheme to blackmail former teammate Mathieu Valbuena with a stolen sex tape, was one of five people found guilty Wednesday after a trial last month. Benzema’s lawyers said they would appeal the decision.
Benzema, Real Madrid’s leading goal scorer, is a contender for the Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual award in soccer, and he is scheduled to play in the club’s Champions League group stage match later Wednesday against Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova.