Cisse arrested in sex tape investigation
By Joe Prince-WrightOct 13, 2015, 7:57 AM EDT
Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse is embroiled in a bizarre investigation into the extortion of a sex tape.
The 34-year-old French striker has been arrested by French police who have confirmed that are investigating attempts to bribe another international footballer.
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Unconfirmed reports from France claim that the individual in question is France and Lyon midfielder Mathieu Valbuena, a former teammate of Cisse at both Marseille and with the French national team.
According to Reuters news agency, Cisse was questioned because he was familiar with the people involved and in total four individuals were arrested as it is alleged they plotted to ask for money from Valbuena for the sex tape to not be released. It is unclear if the tape is of Valbeuna and his partner Fanny Lafon, or if other individuals are involved.
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Cisse won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool and scored 24 goals in 79 games during his three-year stay at Anfield until 2007. He also had spells with Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League, while he is currently out of contract after being released by Ligue 1 side Bastia following nine goals in 41 appearances. Cisse is due to appear on the French version of "Dancing with the Stars" in the coming months.
Further reports from France say that Cisse is expected to be "exonerated" and that the existence of the video is "not proven" at this point.
Source close to Cisse-Valbuena blackmail investigation told AFP Cisse expected to be "quickly exonerated" & "existence of video not proven."
— Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) October 13, 2015