French Players in Sex Scandal

French sex scandal deepens as two more players are named

• Franck Ribéry 'admits to relationship with prostitute'

• Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa say they are innocent

Lizzie Davies in Calais

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 20 April 2010 21.29 BST

France's national football team was further drawn into the sex scandal involving Franck Ribéry yesterday after two more players' names were cited in connection with an investigation into underage prostitution.

Unnamed judicial sources told the French media that Karim Benzema, the Real Madrid forward, and Hatem Ben Arfa, a striker for Marseille, are expected to be questioned in coming days as "witnesses" in the inquiry.

The scandal engulfing Les Bleus, which began when Ribéry was questioned by police in connection with a prostitution ring, also deepened after judicial sources said the 27-year-old had admitted having sex with a 17-year-old prostitute but denied having known she was underage. In France it is illegal to buy sex from someone under 18.

The Bayern Munich forward's lawyer, Sophie Bottai, has insisted that, while the footballer did provide witness testimony to French investigators looking into a ring allegedly run out of a Paris nightclub, he was being heard simply as a witness and not as a suspect.

No charges were filed against him, said Bottai, and he was not held in police custody.

However, the rumours swirling around the team have not ceased since reports surfaced at the weekend that Ribéry and his fellow player Sidney Govou had been questioned by French investigators.

On 12 April police had searched the Zaman Café, a restaurant and nightclub on the Champs Elyseés, and arrested a dozen people, among them prostitutes and a man suspected of being their pimp.

Refusing to say whether or not his client had been questioned by police, Govou's lawyer, Thierry Braillard, said the 30-year-old had "never set foot" in the Zaman.

But the player's name has been cited repeatedly in connection with the investigation being led by the investigating judge André Dando. A judicial source said that, while his married team-mate Ribéry remained a witness in the affair, "it is up to the judge to decided whether to formally investigate him [Ribéry] or not".

In France, prostitution is legal but several activities surrounding it are against the law. If found guilty of paying an underage sex worker, a client could go to prison for three years and be fined up to €45,000 (£39,000).

Yesterday the two other players drawn into the scandal vehemently denied involvement in alleged activities at the Zaman, which has now been shut down. "It's absolutely not me," Ben Arfa told L'Equipe TV. Even if his client were summoned by the police tomorrow, added his lawyer, "that would change nothing".

Benzema's agent, Karim Djaziri, also spoke out in defence of his client. "Karim has not been questioned. He has nothing to do with this affair," he told LePost.fr.

As speculation mounted in Paris, the French football federation (FFF) issued a terse statement saying it was aware of the investigation and certain players' involvement "as mere witnesses". But it said it would "refrain from all comment" until the police had done their job.

Alive and Kicking wrote: In brief, she's blond 18 years and Moroccan origins

Özil wrote:whats wrong with this guys, where was the boner

Franck Ribery football scandal prostitute breaks her silence

The teenage call girl accused of sleeping with at least three French football stars when she was underage broke her silence over the scandal announcing: "loved them all".

Peter Allen, Paris
Published: 6:55PM BST 21 Apr 2010

Franck Ribery in training for Bayern Munich Photo: GETTY
Zahia Dehar, now 18, said she was "shocked" that the players were facing up to three years in prison for the crime.

She said that Franck Ribery, 27, Karim Benzema, 22, and Sidney Govou, 30, had all treated her "with utter respect" and should be left alone.

Mr Ribery, a £40 million target for Chelsea, flew the young French Moroccan to a hotel in Germany, where he is currently a winger for Bayern Munich, last Spring.

He is then alleged to have paid her up to £2,000 for sex, something he continued to do back in France.

Miss Dehar was one of 18 girls quizzed during a police raid on the Café Zaman, a nightclub on the Champs Elysee, last week.

She has told vice squad officers that she had £2,000-a-night sex with all three players.

Prostitution is legal in France, but those selling sex must be over 18.

Mr Ribery, widely considered to be France's best player, told examining magistrates that he saw the girl over a number of months in 2009.

If charged and found guilty the Muslim convert faces a maximum of three years in prison and a fine of up to £40,000.

Judge Andre Dando has yet to decide if Mr Ribery is to be prosecuted but it remains a possibility,' said a judicial source in Paris.

It has been reported that Mr Ribery has admitted having sexual relationship with the girl over several months, but denies knowing she was underage. He could be in very serious trouble at the worst possible time in his career.

The same goes for the other players if they are found to have been knowingly sleeping with an underage prostitute. Mr Ribery is hoping to star in this summer's World Cup finals in South Africa, and is also contemplating a lucrative move from Bayern Munich, to England, Spain or Italy.

He and the other three players were summoned to appear before Judge Dando after the swoop on the Zaman. It has now been shut by the authorities.

A man known as "Abou" from a hit French reality TV show was questioned about his alleged role in acting as a "pimp" to introduce players to the girls.

Mr Ribery, bought by Bayern for £25 million in 2007, converted to Islam to marry his French Algerian wife Wahiba. The couple have two daughters.

Mr Govou, a winger with Lyon, is single but has a five-year-old daughter with his ex-girlfriend, Pascale. The two men will meet in the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday in Munich.

Mr Benzema, who plays for Real Madrid and is a target for Manchester United, is believed to be single.

Despite the new revelations, Sophie Bottai, Mr Ribery's lawyer, continued to deny that her client had slept with the girl.

This affair does not concern my client and could only, in the worst case, involve his private life alone,' she said. Lawyers for Mr Govou, and Mr Benzema also deny any wrongdoing.

While international players for teams like England have frequently been involved in scandals involving sex and alcohol, this is the first time that the French have been connected with widespread sleaze allegations.

France was widely criticised last year for the way they qualified for the World Cup.

Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal star, was alleged to have handled the ball which set up a goal against Ireland which secured the draw France needed to go to South Africa, where the competition starts in June.

Miss Dehar celebrated her 18th birthday on February 28 this year. A picture taken on the day shows her with Mr Ribery.

According to police files, Miss Dehar started working as a prostitute in March 2008. She was making up to £20,000 a month sleeping with wide range of rich clients, especially multi-millionaire footballers.

They would fly her to destinations like Dubai, putting her up in five star hotels. She is also known to have attended European Cup football ties involving English clubs.

Detectives said Miss Dehar has co-operated fully with their enquiries, and did not face criminal charges herself.

She is currently staying with friends in Paris.

Despite the scandal, indications are that Mr Ribery's wife will stand by him. She has told his club that she will attend tonight's European Cup tie against Lyon

Alive and Kicking wrote:Apparently Henry was there as well, but he didn't do much as he only put his hand so he won't be arrested