Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema stand trial in Paris today for allegations of paying a minor, Algerian Zahia Dehar, for sex. The trial which will discuss the incidents that happened in 2008 and 2009 is expected to run until June 26 based on the report gathered by Reuters.

Dehar was a teenage prostitute since she was 15 or 16 according to court documents. She tells her clients that she was 18 though.

According to her statement, she was flown to Munich from Paris in time for Ribery's 26th birthday in 2009. The celebration, she said, was held at a luxury hotel. Dehar futher said that she was paid 700 euros in exchange for sex.

Ribery's version of the story was a bit different though. While he did not deny that he had an encounter with Dehar, he claimed that he did not know she was an underage prostitute.

Benzema on the other hand, who was accused of paying 500 euros to Dehar in 2008, maintained to know none of such encounter ever took place.

French footballers however are not expected to appear before the criminal court according to Reuters. Nevertheless, they can be sentenced to a maximum of 3 years imprisonment when found guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Once convicted, they will also be charged of a fine amounting to 45,000 euros.

The scandal which was publicised prior to the 2010 World Cup pictured an uglier image for the French squad. It can be recalled, as pointed out by Reuters, that that was the period when reports of defeats, internal bickering, and public tantrums were the issues the public associated with the squad.

While the image of the French football stars is still at risk of further damage, Dehar seemed to have moved on. The former underage prostitute is now a muse of the popular designer Karl Lagerfeld. The now 21 year old Dehar is also launching her own lingerie line as noted by the Guardian.