Soccer:Franck Ribery has been placed under judicial investigation for soliciting sex with an under-age prostitute, the Paris public prosecutor's office has confirmed.
Police investigating a prostitution network earlier questioned the Bayern Munich winger at the Paris vice squad headquarters for several hours. Fellow player Karim Benzema was also questioned.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a €45,000 euro fine, although a conviction hinges on proving that the accused knew the minor's age. Ribery's lawyer said he did not know the girl at the centre of the probe was under 18 at the time.
The police had postponed the hearing at the Paris vice squad until after the World Cup, in which Ribery was part of France's disastrous campaign.
French media have suggested the players were clients of a nightclub in Paris's Champs-Elysees upscale district that allegedly featured escorts, including the under-18 girl, Zahia Dehar, at the centre of the affair.
The scandal, which gripped France ahead of the World Cup, took a new twist in late April when the young woman at the centre of the case gave a lengthy interview to Paris Match magazine, implicating players and denying being a prostitute.
She said Ribery had invited her to Munich in April 2009 to celebrate his 26th birthday in a luxury hotel, adding that he had paid her for three encounters last year. According to French law, paid sex with someone under 18 is deemed sex with a minor.
Zahia, who turned 18 in February, confirmed widespread reports in the French press that she was underage when she met Ribery, but added that she had not informed him about her age.