Real Madrid star Karim Benzema has been hit with a 1-year suspended prison sentence and fine after new developments on his sex-tape trial involving former teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

Via ESPN

Karim Benzema has been handed a one-year suspended prison sentence and a €75,000 fine for his involvement in the attempted blackmail of former teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape. Benzema's lawyer told journalists on Wednesday the player will appeal the verdict.

This whole issue between Benzema and Valbuena dates back to 2015, as the Real Madrid star was forced to miss call-ups in the French national team due to this controversy, even France's 2018 World Cup victory. Despite Benzema's return to Les Bleus in Euro 2020, it seems that this case continues to haunt him up to this day. Axel Angot, Mustapha Zouaoui, Younes Houass and Karim Zenati, were also handed sentences related to the case.

It was stated that Angot discovered a sexually explicit video on Valbuena's phone and, together with the other men involved, threatened Valbuena in hopes of gaining money. The latter notified the authorities after the blackmailing scheme reached new heights.

Benzema's involvement in the case is different, as he spoke to Valbuena during a training session of the national team— back in October of 2015. Real Madrid's star stressed that he only offered assistance, but police branded him as a constituent of the scheme.

Currently, Real Madrid is dominating La Liga, standing on top of the entire table. Meanwhile, France hopes to repeat in the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup. Will this saga disrupt Benzema's efforts? How will he respond on and off the pitch?