Chasing 215 for victory against Punjab, Hyderabad reached the target with five balls to spare at their home
cricket7 hours ago
France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has dropped his appeal against a conviction for complicity in blackmail in a sex-tape case that rocked French soccer, his lawyer said Saturday.
The Versailles court gave Benzema a one-year suspended jail sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros ($80,000) in last year’s trial, convicting him of involvement in an attempt to blackmail France teammate Mathieu Valbuena in 2015. Benzema was also ordered to pay Valbuena 80,000 euros in damages.
The initial scandal put Benzema’s international career on hold for more than five years, though he has since returned to playing for France, and the conviction has not kept him off the field. He claimed the Champions League trophy with Real Madrid last week and scored France’s only goal in a 2-1 Nations League loss to Denmark on Friday night.
Benzema’s lawyer Hugues Vigier told The Associated Press that the player decided to abandon his appeal but continues to deny wrongdoing. The appeals trial had been scheduled to open June 30. The Versailles court said on Saturday that it was awaiting the formal notification from Benzema’s legal team.
Vigier decribed Benzema’s weariness after years of legal procedures and said the 34-year-old player “doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. It’s enough.”
“Karim continues to contest the slightest blackmail,” Vigier said. “He is guilty under the law, that’s true. But judicial truth is different from reality.”
After receiving preliminary charges in November 2015, Benzema was dropped from France’s national team by coach Didier Deschamps. Benzema was called back to play for the delayed Euro 2020 tournament and has played regularly since.
Valbuena has not played for France since the scandal broke.
Chasing 215 for victory against Punjab, Hyderabad reached the target with five balls to spare at their home
cricket7 hours ago
The Copernicus Emergency Management Service provides mapping products based on satellite imagery
mena7 hours ago
City beat West Ham 3-1 to become the first team to win four straight Premier League titles
football8 hours ago
Dubai Crown Prince reviews strategic plans for the development and launch of satellites under the UAE Satellite Programme
space8 hours ago
Combs is the target of several civil lawsuits that characterise him as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to subdue his victims
entertainment8 hours ago
The young pacer, who was hit by Rinku for five sixes in one over last year, held his nerve to defend 17 runs in the final over against Chennai on Sunday
cricket9 hours ago
Zelensky calls on Western allies to supply Kyiv with additional air defence systems to protect Kharkiv and other cities
europe9 hours ago
The hospital's specialist medical team has performed five delicate surgeries during the past two days
world9 hours ago