File picture of France’s national player Karim Benzema attending a news conference in Clairefontaine, near Paris.

DPA/Madrid


Real Madrid are in the eye of the storm due to a blackmail case in which striker Karim Benzema is allegedly involved in his native France.
The controversial striker returned to Madrid late Thursday after being placed under formal investigation, and was warmly greeted by Real president Florentino Perez.
Later, the club issued an official statement saying: “The club president held a meeting with the player in which he gave him his full support and expressed his confidence that his actions were in good faith and that he is completely innocent.
“The club values and recognizes the professional commitment, the displays of camaraderie with his team-mates and the impeccable attitude he has shown as a core member of the first team squad for the more than six seasons that he has been a part of Real Madrid.”
However, the Spanish media are taking a more critical attitude towards the case in which Benzema appeared before a judge in Versailles Thursday after being held in custody overnight in connection with a sex tape blackmail plot involving France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena of Lyon.

High risk player
Sports daily AS said that Benzema - who joined from Lyon in 2009 - “has always been a high risk player for the club” and criticised Perez for his “unthinking support” for the player.
Marca said that Benzema has been convicted of several traffic offences in Madrid, and that five years ago he was involved in a case regarding an underage prostitute - though charges were not finally laid against him.
El Pais expressed surprise at Real having stood by Benzema despite his legal problems and suggested that the explanation for this was his excellent goals record for the Whites: 93 goals in 194 games.
Meanwhile, radio station Cadena SER claimed that “Benzema has always been the ‘protected one’ of Perez, for some reason that we cannot see.”
SER added that Perez “should have tried to control Benzema’s behaviour a long time ago ... He is a potential problem for the image of Real Madrid.”
Benzema has been out of action for the last four weeks with a hamstring injury but hopes to be fit for the November 21 El Clasico at home to Barcelona, who are level on points with Real atop La Liga.
France coach Didier Deschamps on Thursday left Benzema and Valbuena out of his squad for upcoming friendly matches against Germany and England.
Benzema’s lawyer Sylvain Cormier was quoted saying that Benzema was not guilty of the charges.
According to French media, Benzema allegedly approached Valbuena about the tape on behalf of “a childhood friend”, who was reportedly trying to extort 150,000 euros (163,000 dollars) from the midfielder under threat of making the tape public.
If formal charges do follow and Bezema is convicted, he could face a minimum jail sentence of five years, the public prosecutor in Versailles said.