PARIS, (Reuters) – French soccer star Franck  Ribery, who is at the centre of a sex scandal, will not face the  investigators before the South African World Cup finals, a  source close to the case said yesterday.

The news might help ease the tense atmosphere surrounding  the France camp ahead of the June 11-July 11 tournament.

“As the case stands now, it is not expected Ribery will be  summoned by the judge to be possibly placed under official  investigation before the start of the competition,” the judicial  source said, declining to be named.

The source added that another French international, Real  Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who also faces questioning in the  same case, would not be heard before the World Cup.