France chief opens door for Benzema return

The striker was suspended indefinitely by the FFF in December 2015 after being put under formal investigation by a judge for an alleged plot to blackmail France team mate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex video. Benzema denies any wrongdoing.

France chief opens door for Benzema return

(Reuters)

He subsequently missed the European Championship finals on home soil in June and July.

FFF president Noel Le Graet has said the striker will be available for selection, but the final decision will rest with coach Didier Deschamps.

"I am against lifetime punishments. Benzema needs to go through the courts, we won't take a risk, whatever it might be," the FFF president told L'Equipe on Sunday. "He already missed the Euros, that's something.

"The problem hasn't been raised for the moment, but he's available for selection," he added.

"The day when justice will be done, only then will Didier decide whether to integrate him or not."

No court date has been set in Benzema's case.

Benzema is yet to feature for Real Madrid in La Liga this season as he recovers from a hip injury.

Since the Euros, he has missed France's 3-1 friendly victory over Italy in Bari on Sept. 1 and will not play in their World Cup qualifier in Belarus on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old currently sits eighth on France's top-scorer list, having found the net 27 times in 81 appearances for his country.

(Reporting by Ed Dove; Editing by Toby Davis)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world