French Soccer Stars in Underage Call Girl Scandal

NICE, France (May 5) -- Two of France's biggest soccer stars are embroiled in a sex scandal with such potentially grave consequences for the national team that the police appear poised to wait until after this summer's World Cup to investigate.

The country has been riveted by the story of Zahia Dehar, now 18, a blonde, Algerian-born "escort girl" who says her clients last year when she was underage included Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema.

Ribery, 27, widely considered one of France's best players, currently plays for the German club Bayern Munich. Zinedine Zidane, the retired French soccer icon, once called him the "jewel of French football."

Ribery, a father of two who converted to Islam to marry his wife, has been interviewed by police but no charges have yet been filed. Benzema, 22, who plays for Real Madrid, has not been questioned and has denied wrongdoing through his lawyer.

Dehar, whose photos were splashed all over magazines and newspapers in Europe and looks a bit older than her age, also claims to have had paid sex with another French team member, Sidney Govou, but after she turned 18 in February this year.

In his only public comment on the matter, Ribery said Saturday, "It hurt my family, above all those close to me. That's all I want to say."

Dehar said she didn't tell her clients she was underage and expressed shock that the soccer stars were in trouble because of her.

She came under police scrutiny during a raid two weeks ago on the Café Zaman, a nightclub on the Champs Elysee where 18 young women were believed to be working as prostitutes.

"I slept with the men, but I wasn't truthful about my age," she told the Daily Mail. "I loved them all. They treated me with utter respect and should be left alone. They spoiled me, and looked after me. They were my men."

The Liberation newspaper said that police are not rushing to complete any investigation into whether Ribery and Benzema hired Dehar for sex and if they knew how old she was at the time.

"We're not moving until the World Cup is over," a police official told Liberation. "There is no rush. The implications are too serious."

Under French law, paid sex with someone under 18 is considered sex with a minor and punishable by a three-year jail term and a $60,000 fine.

Sports Minister Rama Yade said the stakes could be high in the case.

"The French football shirt is sacred," he said. "It cannot be worn by someone under judicial investigation."

In a cover story this week, Paris-Match said Dehar, who charges about $2,600 a night and made up to $30,000 a month, is part of a new generation of hookers who operate independently out of Parisian nightclubs without needing a network of pimps or gangsters for protection. Often, they're students.

"Footballers are their preferred prey. The best-informed know what establishments they like to frequent," said the magazine.

Police files show that Dehar started working as a prostitute in March 2008, the Daily Mail reported. She is alleged to have had a super-rich clientele that included star soccer players, who flew her all over Europe and to places like Dubai, installing her in five-star hotels.

Dehar told Paris Match this week that she was flown to Munich in April 2009 for Ribery's 26th birthday.

"I came on a plane with one of my friends who I suppose [Ribery] had asked regarding my services. He got a room in a luxury hotel. We had sexual relations and he paid me ... I was a nice birthday present, don't you think?" she said.

Paris Match said the issue of who paid for Dehar's ticket to Munich could be key because her birthdate could have been revealed during the transaction.

Dehar herself is cooperating with authorities and will not be charged with a crime.

"'I do what I want," Dehar told Paris Match. "I'm an escort girl, not a prostitute."

Dehar said she does not initiate transactions.

"The men are always the ones who make the proposition," she said. "That's why I refuse to be called a prostitute. I am not standing on the pavement or perched at a bar. I go out to cool places where I meet people from show-biz or sport. They propose ... and I dispose."