Benzema, right, accused Deschamps of bowing to a racist portion of France when he left him out of the squad for Euro 2016Karim Benzema’s recall by France for this summer’s European Championship seemed unthinkable right up until it was first reported late on Monday night. The 33-year-old striker has not played for his country since October 2015, having been sidelined by the France coach Didier Deschamps after he was accused of plotting to blackmail his former international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape. Benzema denies any wrongdoing. Over the intervening years, with the blackmail case rumbling on in the background — a trial is due to start in October — Benzema’s exclusion was a recurring source of bitterness and friction. SponsoredAfter he was left out of the squad for Euro 2016, the Real Madrid striker told Marca, the Spanish newspaper, that Deschamps had “given in

Source: The Times May 19, 2021 10:52 UTC