Karim Benzema justified his absence in the France team for Euro by launching a spectacular polemics on issues fracture French society well beyond football.
At nine days of the Euro in France, Benzema, dismissed of the Blues because of his indictment in the case of blackmail sex tape against Mathieu Valbuena, made this remarks in an interview with Spanish sports daily Marca of Wednesday. Large extracts were published online in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. Best scorer in activity of the France team, the attacker of Algerian origin of Real Madrid (28 years, 81 selections, 27 goals) supports his statement by recalling the recent electoral success in France of the Front National, which he describes of "extremist party".
First member of the government to respond, the Secretary of State for Sports Thierry Braillard found these remarks "unjustified and unacceptable" Wednesday morning on Twitter.
"I find it unbearable (...) The fact of permanently return the country's problems to issues of race, religion, ethnic groups and communities is not a healthy sign", said on RTL former Prime Minister Francois Fillon.
"This statement is absolutely scandalous", abounded on France Info Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, also a candidate for the primary from the right.
The deputy PS "rebellious" Benoît Hamon however estimated on Europe 1 that Benzema was "right to say that we are in a country where racism is increasing", while holding that "Deschamps is not racist".
The controversy over the absence of Benzema (and Hatem Ben Arfa) to the Euro was born last week after similar statements by the former player Eric Cantona and comedian Jamel Debbouze. Ben Arfa (29 years, 15 caps, 2 goals) in the list of 8 reservists despite a very successful season with Nice (17 goals in L1).
"I don't know if it's a decision only for Didier because I get along with him, with the president (of the French Football Federation, Noël Le Graët) and with everyone," added in Marca the recent winner of the Champions League with Real Madrid. "They declared me no-selectable me well. But in sporting, I don't understand why, and in the judiciary, I am not yet judged and I am presumed innocent. It wasn't until the Justice rules" he added, reaffirming his desire to play in the blue shirt.
Benzema had been declared no-selectable by the federation because of he was under investigation on November 5 2015, to "blackmail attempt complicity" over teammate of the Blues Mathieu Valbuena and "participation in a criminal conspiracy", offenses punishable by five years imprisonment. He is suspected of having encouraged Valbuena to pay blackmailers saying hold an intimate video of the player of Lyon.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls was pronounced himself against the presence of Benzema in the France team. A "great athlete must be exemplary", otherwise he "has no place in the France team", Manuel Valls launched.
Opinion polls were also unfavorable to the scorer of Real.
"In this story, the only person who knows what happened, who knows the truth is Valbuena. He played a role, he has not told the truth. I wanted to help him, nothing more and the case turned against me", said Benzema to Marca, days after the statements of Cantona who launched the controversy. The ex-international said on Thursday in a chronicle in the British newspaper The Guardian that Deschamps had dismissed Benzema and Ben Arfa because of their "North African origin". Remarks that Didier Deschamps, in full preparation with the France team, declined to comment, while announcing, via his lawyer, his intention to file a complaint.
The president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Noël Le Graët, for his part judged "stupid " remarks of Cantona against Didier Deschamps and denounced a "pathetic attack".
In the following, Monday night, comedian Jamel Debbouze (which he is of Moroccan origin), said in the magazine France Football that Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa "paid the social situation" in the country.
Source : AFP
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