French police question Benzema in soccer sextape inquiry

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema celebrates scoring against Liverpool during their Champions League Group B soccer match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid November 4, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

French police questioned Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema on Wednesday in connection with an inquiry into an alleged attempt to blackmail fellow-France soccer international Mathieu Valbuena, a police source said.

Investigators are looking into allegations of attempts to blackmail Valbuena using sex video footage and took several others including former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse in for questioning in mid-October

Benzema's name came up during phone taps in relation to the inquiry opened last July, said the police source, speaking on condition of anonymity as is standard practice in France for police officers without official communications roles.

The Real and France player's lawyer was not immediately available for comment.