French court rules Franck Ribery can be dubbed 'scarface' in book

A Parisian court has ruled that the use of "scarface" along with other derogatory terms to describe Franck Ribery were lawful in a book published in 2013.

Daniel Riolo, a journalist for RMC Sport, published the book "Racaille Football Club" (Scum Football Club) three years ago. It sent shockwaves through French football as it exposed the seedier sides of the game, including the in-fighting of Raymond Domenech's 2010 World Cup squad.

Riolo wrote that Ribery was one of the main instigators of the discontent in the French camp that saw Nicolas Anelka leave the tournament early and the side embarrassingly exit at the group stage. The writer used several terms to describe him, such as "scarface," "scum," and "gangster."

Unsurprisingly, the Bayern Munich star took exception to the insults and sued Riolo and his publisher Hugo & Cie for damages. The words were adjudged to have been used "objectively," and Ribery was ordered to pay Riolo and his publisher €5,000 for what was deemed a "reckless" lawsuit.

Ribery's lawyer Carlo Alberto Brusa vowed to appeal the decision: "My client is outraged that the 17th chamber of the court has described this as an abuse of procedure as he was simply exercising judicial means available to him to request that his fundamental rights are respected."