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French international and Real Madrid star striker Karim Benzema has been charged in the sex tape scandal surrounding international teammate Mathieu Valbuena, per the AP.

Police on Wednesday were questioning Benzema, attempting to find out what he knew about the blackmail case over an alleged sex tape featuring Valbuena and his girlfriend. Valbuena had been contacted by blackmailers looking for money.

Benzema was charged with conspiracy to blackmail and participating in a criminal group as part of the investigation and faces up to five years in prison. 

The AP reports that Benzema was charged after being brought before a judge in Versailles on Wednesday before spending the night in custody. He has been freed pending further investigation but cannot have any contact with Valbuena. 

Benzema reportedly mentioned the sex tape to the current Lyon man in a French training session earlier this season which may have raised Valbuena's suspicion. 

Neither Valbuena nor Benzema were called up to the French national team ahead of the upcoming friendlies. France will host Euro 2016 next year, but one must wonder how this could impact the team come the tournament along with Benzema's future at Real Madrid. The Spanish club saw this as perfect timing to post a picture of Benzema on its site and state that he had returned to training, appearing to have healed up from his recent leg injury. The post did not say anything about his legal situation. 

On top of being a serious legal matter with major ramifications for those involved, this is also big news for France and Real Madrid. The latter may be forced to buy a new striker during the winter transfer window, as Benzema could be out of soccer for a good while if convicted. 

Benz
Oh no, Benz. (USATSI)