Cheick Doucoure alleged victim of blackmail

Cheick Doucoure’s lawyer, Maitre Alexis Rutman, has revealed the footballer has been the alleged victim of blackmail since his move to Crystal Palace.

The midfielder recently joined the Premier League club for a reported £18m fee having impressed at RC Lens last season.

Since his move however, the player’s lawyer has released a statement which alleges that Doucoure has been the victim of blackmail.

The statement released on Twitter reads: “Since the announcement of his transfer from RC Lens to Crystal Palace, Mr. Cheick Oumar Doucoure and his entourage have been victims of blackmail and an attempt to extort money from several individuals acting in concert (a player’s agent and a photographer, supported by a journalist), obviously attracted by the supposed gains from this transaction.

“These individuals claim, with false evidence, that my client would have a double identity and demand a payment of a sum of money in exchange for their silence.

“Several WhatsApp messages to this effect, accompanied by false documents, have been sent to my client and his entourage over the past few days. This situation is very serious and obviously unacceptable.

“My client and his entourage will not give in to such actions which expose their authors to severe criminal sanctions.

“All appropriate legal actions will be carried out, both on a criminal and civil level, against these three individuals but also against all those who would support, endorse, relay in any form whatsoever, such actions and/or such slanderous accusations.”