Fanny Lafon pictured watching Valbuena play for France at Brazil 2014. (Getty)
With her husband involved in one of soccer’s biggest ever sex scandal, will Mathieu Valbuena’s wife stand by her man? The soccer star is married to Fanny Lafon. On the morning of November 4, it was announced that Karim Benzema had been arrested in France in relation to a blackmail attempt on Valbuena. The blackmailing involves a sex tape that allegedly stars the diminutive Lyon winger.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Female Star of the Sex Tape Hasn’t Been Revealed
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The Associated Press reports that Benzema was taken into police custody in Versailles on the morning of November 4. All police said that is that the questioning is related to the Mathieu Valbuena sex tape. The Real Madrid striker’s role is unclear with one French reporter, Julien Laurens, tweeting that Benzema may have advised Valbuena to pay the blackmailers.
Back in October, former French striker Djibril Cisse was questioned by police about the sex tape. The investigation into the Valbuena controversy began in France in July 2015. The Guardian reports that the clip was recorded on a cell phone. The newspaper adds that a blackmail conviction carries a 5-year prison sentence in France.
2. The Couple Have Been Together Since 2009 When Valbuena Was Going Through ‘Dark Times’
Lafon with Valbuena’s mother during France’s defeat for Germany at the Brazil World Cup in 2014. (Getty)
According to an interview that Valbuena gave to Le JDD just prior to the 2014 World Cup, he met Lafon in 2009 while he was going through “dark times” during his spell playing for Marseilles. At that time, his then coach, Didier Deschamps, said that Valbuena had no future with the team. The winger said in the article “I met Fanny end of 2009, when I was living through difficult times with Deschamps at Marseille. His parents own a sporting goods store. It was presented to us, we talked, it was right Following course and it was reviewed. Today, we live together. It brings me a lot of stability, serenity. She encourages me a lot even if the football is not his cup of tea. She knows fade when to erase, be present when to be. I do not have family nearby, it’s important to have someone you love with you.”
He mentioned that his wife’s family own a sports store. Coincidentally, in an interview that Valbuena gave to FIFA.com, he mentioned that “Without my parents, I might have become a salesman in a sports shop, which is what I was doing as work experience during my studies.”
3. Since the Scandal Broke, Lafon Has Deleted Much of Her Social Media
Despite updating her social media constantly during France’s World Cup adventure in Brazil in 2014, Lafon has lately deleted her old Facebook and made her Instagram private. On her Instagram, she writes under her profile photo “Happiness is not having what we desire, but to appreciate what we have.” Heavy.com discovered her new Facebook page that shows a few photos of Lafon but not much other information. She hasn’t updated her Twitter page since October 2014 when she posted photos of Moscow, just after Valbuena’s move to the Russian capital.
4. This the Second Major Sex Scandal Involving Karim Benzema in the Past 5 Years
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In 2010, several French players, including Benzema were accused of statutory rape involving a 16-year-old escort named Zahia Dehar. The star Real Madrid player also said that he had been targeted by blackmailers in the case. Since then, the striker had a child with his former girlfriend Chloe de Launay. These days, he’s been linked to Rihanna and model Analicia Chaves.
5. Valbuena Has Struggled Against Adversity Throughout His Soccer Career
French winger Mathieu Valbuena has been beset with obstacles throughout his soccer career. His size saw him rejected from his hometown heroes Bordeaux in France. From there, just when his career seemed to be taking off, his coach at Marseilles tried to force him out of the club. In 2010, he was involved in a high-speed car crash with his Lamborghini, miraculously he survived without any injuries.