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French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet has praised Mathieu Valbuena for reporting an alleged attempt to blackmail him to police. The case centres on an apparent effort to extort funds from the Lyon midfielder using a sex tape, and France teammate Karim Benzema, 27, was charged with conspiracy to blackmail last week. A steady flow of leaks about the case meant it dominated the news agenda ahead of Friday's game against world champions Germany in Paris. France coach Didier Deschamps omitted Valbuena, 31, from his squad to protect him from the media spotlight and Le Graet has also offered the player his full support. "Valbuena is not guilty," Le Graet told RMC. "He's the victim. He filed a complaint and he did the right thing. I think it's a matter that could have been even more difficult had he not done so." Investigators suspect that Benzema, who has denied any wrongdoing, was approached by a childhood friend to act as an intermediary between the blackmailers and Valbuena. Wiretap evidence was used to help build the case and leaked transcripts, supposedly from a telephone conversation between Benzema and his friend, have created major headlines in France this week. Benzema's legal team are lodging a complaint about the leaks but Valbuena's lawyer says they have had little impact on his client's state of mind. "The latest revelations that have appeared in the press are not disrupting him," Didier Domat told Le Parisien. "They have not shaken his determination or his course of action." Valbuena is set to become a civil party in the case so that he can have access to all the evidence. Domat said the former Marseille player found it unusual that so many transcripts had been fed to the media but that he is fully focused ahead of his appearance before an investigating judge next week. "He is self-assured -- sure of what he wants to do," Domat said. "His family is supporting him and he won't let himself be influenced by any direct or indirect pressure. "He has things to say and, in front of the judge, he'll tell the truth." Benzema is also missing from the squad due to injury but, in the pair's absence, the France players were ordered not to discuss the case this week if possible. Captain Hugo Lloris admitted it has been a strange situation. "The group and the French team is more important than everything," he told RTL. "But otherwise we hope it can be settled quickly and that we can get Karim and Valbu back as quickly as possible. "Knowing the two players, it's delicate and surprising to see them in this type of situation, but they're well aware that they have our support and that we're thinking of them."
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