Djibril Cisse denies involvement in alleged extortion of Mathieu Valbuena

French teammates Mathieu Valbuena and Djibril Cisse have been dealing with a bizarre legal situation of late, after Valbuena was allegedly blackmailed over a sex tape and Cisse was questioned by police in the investigation.

But Cisse now says he was not actually involved in the case, saying that he had only warned Valbuena to be careful as problems began to surface, while denying any involvement in the alleged crime.

"It's a thing that could have been very bad for me and for him," Cisse told a French TV show, as quoted by ESPN. "So they came to hear my side of the story. I never swindled (anyone). Mathieu's a friend. We were at Marseille together and I used to bring him to training.

"So there wasn't any swindling," he added. "I just warned him to be careful. He made a complaint, my name was included as part of it and they heard me. That's all."

Cisse was taken in by police in connection with Valbuena's case and was questioned regarding his involvement. The 34-year-old was released without being seen by a judge.

According to some reports, Cisse was arrested because he allegedly knew the actual perpetrators, but was not one of the people suspected of instigating the extortion scheme.

Three other unnamed suspects were arrested by French authorities in connection with the case.