Football fans around the world are in shock over the sordid details involving star striker Karim Benzema of the stellar Real Madrid football club of the Spanish League. The French footballer, who is rated as one of the top offensive players in the world, is under investigation for an alleged conspiracy to extort and blackmail Mathieu Valbuena, a talented French midfielder who plays for Olympique Lyonnais in France. The corpus delicti in this case is a purported “sex tape,” a digital recording of Mr. Valbuena in a compromising sexual act.

 

French prosecutors are investigating Mr. Benzema’s supposed involvement in a criminal extortion ring. According to a news report filed by Angelique Chrisafis for The Guardian (UK) Mr. Benzema could face up to five years in prison if found guilty. After Mr. Valbuena was approached by a mysterious man who claimed to be in possession of the sex tape, the footballer notified law enforcement officers who later intercepted an incriminating phone call by Mr. Benzema. The transcript of that call has been leaked to the media, and it seems as if Mr. Benzema was collaborating with the extortion crew who was after Mr. Valbuena. Both footballers are teammates in the French National Team.

 

In the past, Mr. Benzema has been romantically linked to pop music star Rihanna. He is currently suspended from playing in Real Madrid and the French National Team, and his suspension is keeping odds makers and sportsbook managers in Costa Rica on their toes. According to IDSca.com, a respected Pay-Per-Head (PPH) provider based in Costa Rica, odds makers are likely to approach Mr. Benzema’s suspension in a statistical fashion. When Mr. Benzema is included in an all-star Real Madrid lineup, an odds maker could assign a numeric value of 20 to the club. Mr. Benzema is a key player; his suspension will take away 4 points from this assignment, thus giving the club a numeric value of 16. Star goalkeeper Keylor Navas from Costa Rica is currently recovering from an injury, and thus the statistical value of Real Madrid could be further reduced to 12.

 

Sex tapes and extortion plots in professional sports have been on the rise in recent years. In 2004, professional baseball player Gary Sheffield was the target of such a plot. As reported by Jennifer Vineyard for MTV:

 

A Chicago man has been arrested for extortion after allegedly trying to get $20,000 from a sports agent by claiming to possess videotapes of Yankee slugger Gary Sheffield’s wife having sex with [controversial hip-hop star R. Kelly].

 

Derrick Mosley, who claims he used to work for Kelly, appeared in a Chicago federal court Monday on charges of communicating a threat across state lines and wire fraud. Federal authorities say sports agent Rufus Williams called the FBI on November 4 after getting a call from Mosley, who told Williams someone had anonymously mailed two videotapes to him that depicted the wife of one of his clients engaging in “very repulsive” sex acts with a musician.

 

Another Spanish League footballer who was affected by a sex tape extortion attempt is Gerard Pique, who plays for the Barcelona Football Club and has been in a relationship with Colombian pop star Shakira for a few years. As reported by Sports Mole in 2012:

 

Gerard Pique is allegedly being blackmailed over the release of a sex tape, according to media reports in Mexico. The Barcelona centre-back, 24, has apparently been threatened with a 90-second video that depicts him engaging in an oral sex act with his musician girlfriend Shakira, 34. The Mexican publication TVNotas claims to have been contacted by an employee of the singer, who is touting the tape. Representatives for Shakira have questioned the video’s existence.