French footballers to go on trial in Paris
The trial of French footballers Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema, charged with having sex with an underage prostitute, is due to begin in Paris.
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Bayern Munich winger Ribery, 30, and Real Madrid striker Benzema, 26, deny knowingly paying for sex with Zahia Dehar while she was under 18.
They each face up to three years in prison and fines of up to 45,000 euros ($55,000).
Neither was expected to attend the trial's start, Mr Ribery's lawyer said.
Ms Dehar is not expected to attend either.
Carlo Alberto Brusa, Mr Ribery's lawyer, struck an upbeat note. "We are going in confident and we are going to fight," he said.
Ms Dehar has also withdrawn as a civil plaintiff in the case. "She is not asking for anything," said her lawyer, Daniel Vaconsin.
The two players are accused of paying for sex with Ms Dehar when she was 16, in Mr Benzema's case, and 17, in Mr Ribery's.
The age of consent is 15 in France, but paying for sex with any
