Ribery and Benzema cleared on under-age sex charges Thursday Jan 30,2014

Frank Ribery and Karim Benzema were Thursday Jan 30,2014 acquitted of charges of having sex with an under-age prostitute

The acquittals had been widely expected following a recommendation to that effect from the public prosecutor in the case, who had concluded it was impossible to say that either player had knowingly paid for sex with a minor.

The French judge ruled there wasn't enough proof the men were aware that self-described escort Zahia Dehar, now 21, was a minor at the time