FRENCH soccer players Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema went on trial in Paris yesterday accused of paying for sex with a teenage call girl.

    Bayern Munich winger Ribery and Real Madrid striker Benzema have been under investigation for more than two years on allegations of paying Zahia Dehar, then a minor, for sex in 2008 and 2009.

    None of them appeared at the criminal court for the trial that is expected to run until June 26. The ruling could come later.

    The scandal is further damaging the image of a French squad already tarnished by internal bickering, public tantrums and defeats.

    Algerian-born Dehar, now 21, has since become designer Karl Lagerfeld’s muse and protégée, launching her own lingerie line.

    The players could be sentenced to up to three years in jail and fines of 45,000 euros (US$60,000) if found guilty of soliciting the services of an underage prostitute.

    (SD-Agencies)