​Mathieu Valbuena has spoken out for the first time about the sex tape scandal in which France team-mate Karim Benzema has been accused of conspiracy to blackmail and says he is "more than disappointed".

The case came to light in the middle of October, when Djibril Cisse, who is now retired from football, was questioned by police, but at the beginning of November, Benzema was also investigated by the French authorities over his possible connection, though his lawyer maintains he has done nothing wrong.

In an extensive interview with Le Monde, Valbuena admits he feels let down by Benzema, who could face up to five years in prison if found guilty of the charges.

Valbuena has revealed his version of events, as he claims Benzema tried to entice him to meet with an acquaintance, who had apparently obtained a sex tape of him and was willing to destroy it.

“His way of speaking wasn’t aggressive, and he didn’t mention money specifically, but when he insisted I met with someone,” the Lyon playmaker said. “I’ve never seen anyone who would destroy a video for free just because he loves me. Stop taking people for fools.

“I said to Karim: ‘You saw Djibril [Cisse] in 2008 about the same thing.’ 

“And he told me: ‘So was it worth it?’

“I told him: ‘Well yeah, it was.’

“Him: ‘And did it come out?’

“And I told him: ‘Well, no.’

“After that, he repeated to me many times that I was dealing with ‘some bad people’. He told me, ‘It’s still quite hot this video. You must be strong.’

“Ok, so he also said, ‘If you don’t want that, it’s no problem. But I can introduce you to my friend.’

“We kept going back to that. I was more than disappointed. I told myself that it was quite simply a lack of respect. You can’t behave like that with anyone.

“In the end, when we were about to go, Karim said to me: ‘What have I to do? Give him your number? Give you his number?’