Ribery Charged After Underage Prostitution Scandal

Franck Ribery’s Form Affected By Severe Per­sonal Problems.

Bay­ern Munich and France winger Franck Ribery’s sum­mer just keeps get­ting worse. From fail­ing with France at the World Cup, to fac­ing up to three years in prison for hav­ing sex with an under­age prostitute.

This story first broke in 2009, when Ribery was first ques­tioned with regards to a pros­ti­tu­tion ring in France. It had come out in the press that Ribery and France team­mate Karim Ben­zema had solicited pros­ti­tu­tion from an under­age pros­ti­tute, who was only 16 at the time. In France, pros­ti­tu­tion is legal over the age of 18.

Now, it seems, Franck Ribery has been charged with solic­i­ta­tion of an under­age pros­ti­tute, and may face up to three years in prison and a hefty fine for his crime. Ribery and Ben­zema, though, deny any wrong­do­ing. At first glance, one could assume that they feel they’re above the law. Well, tech­ni­cally, they are.

Accord­ing to Franck Ribery’s lawyer, Ribery and Ben­zema have not com­mit­ted a crime. She is quoted as telling the French press;

“This crime [of which he is sus­pected] is an inten­tional crime: he would have had to know her age, which was not the case. She would have had to look like a minor, which was not the case. She would have to be claim­ing that she had told him she was a minor, which is not the case,” she told French radio.

It seems Ribery and Ben­zema will escape with a warn­ing here, because even the pros­ti­tute her­self admit­ted that she did not inform Ribery and Ben­zema about her age.

Still, the prob­lem per­sists. What on earth is hap­pen­ing to French foot­ball? Lau­rent Blanc has a mas­sive uphill strug­gle on his hands instill­ing first some dis­ci­pline, and sec­ond some respect back into the French camp. It will be inter­est­ing to see who indeed makes it into Blanc’s side for 2012 and then 2014.