France’s Benzema Drops Appeal Over Sex Tape Conviction

France’s Benzema Drops Appeal Over Sex Tape Conviction
France's Karim Benzema (R) at the Stade de France in Saint Denis near Paris, France, on June 3, 2022. Jean-Francois Badias/AP Photo
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PARIS—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.