A letter takes the French media by storm as Zahia Dehar, the underage escort caught in L’affaire Ribery turns to Raymond Domenech, the coach of Les Bleus for salvation.
She pleads with Domenech not to punish those players who might have broken the law. Zahia accepts full responsibility by saying that she did not disclose her age and the players had no knowledge. She says at no stage did she imply that she was the victim of these players.
” I ask that you respect what the judges, lawyers, called the “presumption of innocence” and take into account at the time of your choice, what has happened between some of your players and I.”
She is a heroine. For someone 18 years of age, she has shown a remarkable sense of maturity and introspection and turned something sleazy and worth less than a titter to the level of altruism. Les Bleus should play its heart out for a woman with a Gallic heart of gold. She has paid a price, become a recluse in her own country, all for the presumption of innocence.