An appeal court in the French city of Aix-en-Provence on Friday rejected a request by Nice defender Souleymane Diawara to be released after more than two months in custody in relation to an extortion investigation.

Prosecutors had asked for Diawara to remain in prison, where he has been since his arrest on April 10 on suspicion of trying to take the law into his own hands by attempting to recover 49,800 euros ($55,800) from a car dealer who had allegedly sold him a stolen Porsche.

Police sources say Diawara, a 36-year-old former French title winner with Bordeaux and Marseille, bought the Porsche Cayenne for 49,800 euros in cash in 2013.

However, when discovering it was stolen, he and four others, including his brother Adama, visited the seller's home in the middle of the night on March 19 to attempt to get the money back.

The accused insist no weapons were used and nobody was hurt in the altercation.

The same court in Aix-en-Provence rejected an appeal in mid-April by Diawara and the other accused against the decision to hold them in custody.

Diawara's lawyer, Eric Dupond-Moretti, has described the situation as "unacceptable", saying that his client has no place in prison and is not a flight risk.

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