French Soccer Stars Will Face Charges For Sexing 16-Year-Old Prostitute

Bayern's Franck Ribery and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema got into a spot of trouble in 2010, when a Paris prostitution ring was busted and their names popped up in a little black book. Even worse, it turned out they had paid for sex with then-16-year-old Zahia Dehar, who, in the players' defense, didn't tell them her real age and is built like an Algerian Barbie doll.

In libertine France, this wasn't a big deal beyond the prurient tabloid interest. The players had no idea Dehar was underage, and prostitution is more or less decriminalized. As recently as November, prosecutors said they had no intentions of charging Ribery and Benzema. Well, something changed: according to court documents, the pair will face trial for solicitation. Some among the eight defendants will be charged with aggravated pimping, though it's not specified who.

The trial won't start for another few months. Ribery and Benzema each technically face a maximum sentence of three years in prison, but come on.

[ AFP]