A year after the heated controversy which followed Karim Benzema’s withdrawal from the World Cup in Qatar and the announcement of its extension, Didier Deschamps has not digested it.
Didier Deschamps should have a peaceful end to the year. Calm has indeed returned around the French coach, after particularly turbulent first weeks of 2023. Consequence of the controversies which accompanied the announcement of his extension at the beginning of the year as well as the criticisms which were made to him after the hasty departure of Karim Benzema from Qatar after a relapse of his thigh injury.
These controversies particularly affected the former midfielder, especially since they seemed unjustified to him. He recalled this during an interview with Le Parisien, one week before the anniversary of the Blues’ defeat in the World Cup final against Argentina. “ I am not looking for unanimity. You can like me or hate me. I have no problem with criticism, as long as it stays in the sporting field. Unfortunately, this is not always the case…That the debate exists is very good. It’s healthy, even. In sport, it has always existed. But to debate, we must base ourselves on proven facts. When the debate is based on unfounded facts, lies, it is still embarrassing and I am kind in using the term embarrassing because these debates fuel the rise of verbal but also physical aggression. he confided, adding: “We experienced it after Euro 2021 and during the last World Cup. We started with stuff… The worst part was that the information was easily verifiable. But once it’s gone, with the proliferation of networks, the damage is done. Football is a reflection of society, there is more excess, more hatred. »
Although he was careful not to mention the name of Karim Benzema, the double world champion returned to the mishap that occurred in 2016 when the word “racist” had been tagged on the walls of his house in Concarneau after the former Lyonnais told the Madrid press that Didier Deschamps “had given in to pressure from a racist part of France”. “Seven years ago, an event, to which I do not want to return, profoundly changed the way I saw things and reacted. Of course, I find out. But I have become impervious to anything that happens or is said outside, especially during gatherings. I certainly couldn’t have done it without it.” he said again on this subject.
