Real Madrid star Karim Benzema’s advisor has made serious allegations against French national coach Didier Deschamps. He says: The striker was not injured as badly at the World Cup in Qatar as Deschamps and Co. claimed and could have played in the round of 16.
The national team posse around France’s superstar Karim Benzema is richer by a chapter. On Monday evening, the striker’s advisor posted a video on Twitter in which a doctor from Doha’s Aspetar Hospital analyzed the striker’s MRI images and described his injury, which, according to the official version, ultimately led to the 35-year-old’s World Cup elimination led.
Benzema’s adviser wrote on the video: “Before I publish this I consulted three specialists who confirmed the diagnosis that Benzema could have been fit or at least on the bench from the round of 16.” Finally, he asked the French national team and Didier Deschamps: “Why did you ask him to leave so quickly?”
The allegations from the Benzema agent are likely to fuel the debate over the shattered relationship between the striker and Deschamps. Already during the World Cup, French media had reported a “total break” between the 35-year-old and the coach.
Deschamps sends Benzema home early
Benzema arrived in Qatar for the finals in a ailing condition but refused to trust the French national team’s doctors’ verdict on his injury. Instead, the striker relied on the opinion of Real Madrid’s club doctor, who found the injury far less serious.
For his part, Deschamps agreed to his own medical department and finally decided to send Karim Benzema home early against his will. A few days later, the superstar announced his final retirement from the national team.