The French Football Federation has openly declared its support for Sidney Govou and Franck Ribery, the two players so far have been linked to a prostitution ring that operated in a famous cafe in Paris. The Bayern and Lyon players remain silent, advised by their lawyers. Meanwhile, Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa could be the next for interrogation.
Ribery admitted having slept with an underage prostitute.
Lawyers for the two French international Ribery and Govou said they had been interrogated and one source close to the investigation said police would continue with a third player.
"The FFF wants to express its commitment to the principle of presumption of innocence and expressed his faith in the judicial process. The FFF can not access the case file and will not make any further statement until the trial is to end," said the organization in a statement.
The French media said the players were clients of Zaman Café, where luxury prostitutes supposedly working. Ribery and Govou played at Bayern Munich and Olympique Lyon, respectively, and will face in the first leg of the semifinals of the Champions League to be played in Germany.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas, told reporters in Munich that he had full confidence in Govou: "Sidney came to see me at my office before the team traveled from Lyon to Munich on Monday and his explanations were convincing. His lawyer has confirmed he was not involved and, of course, I'm willing to believe. "
Ribery's silence
Meanwhile, Bayern midfielder was scheduled to appear Tuesday in Munich at a press conference, but was replaced by defender Philipp Lahm, who refused to talk about it.
According to the French press, the following will be called to testify Ben Arfa (Olympique Marseille) and Benzema. Madrid's agent, Karim Djaziri, wanted to make clear that his client is not involved in the case: "I'm pretty sure that Karim is not even aware of this issue, so imagine his involvement."