French International being investigating after his telephone number found in girl’s mobile.
Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema may be joined in the dock by another French International after an investigation was being launched in connection with soliciting of a minor for prostitution.
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The player’s name appeared in the mobile phone of an under-age girl who has been arrested on shop-lifting charges and whose profile was sufficient to justify the opening of a preliminary investigation, reports AFP.
The news agency did not immediately reveal the player’s identity, which is subject to rules on judicial secrecy but is likely to emerge if the probe goes beyond a preliminary stage.
Bayern Munich winger Ribery and Real Madrid forward Benzema face up to three years in prison and a maximum 45,000-euro (£35,000) fine if convicted of soliciting an under-age prostitute.
Their trial, in which six other people will also be in the dock, has been scheduled for June.
The woman involved, Zahia Dehar, has testified that the players were unaware that she was not 18. Although the age of consent is 15 in France, paying for sex with anyone under 18 is a separate, and more serious, offence than soliciting adult prostitutes.
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