Three years later, Karim Benzema's early departure from the French national team, just before the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, continues to generate controversy . In the Deschamps-Riolo trial, the parties involved took the stand to explain themselves. As a reminder, the RMC commentator accused the national team coach of lying about the departure of the player, who was then playing for Real Madrid , claiming that the striker's injury was less serious than reported. He supported his argument by asserting that he had received confirmation of his information from Hakim Chalabi, the head of the Aspetar clinic in Doha and head of the PSG medical staff.
An argument that, incidentally, greatly irritated the French national team doctor , Franck Le Gall. "I have the right not to trust Aspetar and Chalabi; it's as if they invented medicine. Fifty years ago, Qatar was a nobody. Chalabi is no longer a benchmark. He's not God, like Aspetar," he declared at the trial. For his part, Didier Deschamps also maintained that he had followed the medical staff's diagnosis and that Benzema had already decided to return home after his medical examinations. " I found myself facing a player who was devastated, and I understood him. I tried to comfort him, talk to him, asking him: 'What do you think?' He told me: 'It's over' (...) Karim had already decided it was finished. I didn't have to make any drastic decisions. He had already made up his mind." I was facing someone who was resigned. Me, losing Karim Benzema as coach, do you think that's going to make me smile? He decided to go back because it was irreparable .
Even Real Madrid's doctor didn't understand Les Bleus.
Since then, L'Équipe has revealed new information about the affair. The newspaper obtained the text message exchange between Deschamps and Benzema the day after that sad evening. "Hello Karim, I know how incredibly sad you are not to be with us anymore. I'm so sorry for you… Enjoy your family. You'll always be with us in spirit ." Benzema replied to this message without any animosity: "Sad… It's tough, but it's the reality. In any case, I'm with the team in spirit… Courage, determination, ambition! Big hello to everyone, thank you coach, see you soon ." The relationship between the two men seemed perfectly normal and friendly at the time. It was later, when Deschamps broke his silence to respond to Riolo's claims, that Benzema rejected the coach's arguments, posting the now-famous aggressive messages on his social media. However, L'Équipe has added further details.
In the media, news of Deschamps' lawsuit against Riolo leaked in March 2023. The RMC journalist , trying to cover his tracks, contacted Hakim Chalabi. Chalabi was then recorded without his knowledge but confirmed that Benzema's injury was less serious than initially thought. "Clearly, the MRI shows a grade 1 low lesion on his groin... And what's more, it involves old fibrosis from an injury he had before the World Cup . We don't work with idiots. Medically speaking, it's a grade 1... And they told him it was a grade 2... He (Franck Le Gall) lied to him. Why? I don't know ." Later, Chalabi sent Benzema's medical records to Real Madrid at the request of the striker's agent. The Real Madrid doctor's response was reportedly unequivocal: "I don't understand why they (the French national team) didn't keep him." This probably explains why Karim Benzema still holds such a grudge against Didier Deschamps today…
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