Three years later, the early departure of Karim Benzema from the France team, just before the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is still causing as much talk. As part of the Deschamps-Riolo trial, the parties concerned took the stand to explain themselves. As a reminder, the columnist of RMC accused the national coach of having lied about the departure of the player who was then playing for Real Madrid by assuring that the striker’s injury was less serious than announced. He then supported his argument by ensuring that he had confirmation of his information from Hakim Chalabi, the boss of the Aspetar clinic in Doha and head of the PSG medical staff.
An argument which also had the gift of prodigiously annoying the Blues doctor, Franck Le Gall. “I have the right not to trust Aspetar and Chalabi, we have the impression that they invented medicine. 50 years ago, Qatar was a rock. Chalabi is no longer a reference. It’s not the good Lord, like Aspetar”he said at the trial. For his part, Didier Deschamps also assured that he had followed the diagnosis of the medical staff and that Benzema had already decided to return after returning from his medical examinations. “I find myself facing a collapsed player and I understand it. I make sure I can comfort him, talk to him, by asking him the question: what do you think about it? He told me: it’s dead (…) Karim had already decided that it was done. I didn’t have to make a radical decision. He had already made his decision. I had someone in front of me who was resigned. Me, losing Karim Benzema as coach, do you think that will make me smile? He decided to return because it was irremediable”.
Even the Real Madrid doctor didn’t understand the Blues
From, The Team revealed new information about the case. The newspaper thus obtained the exchange of text messages between DD and Nueve the day after this sad evening. “Hello Karim, I know your immense sadness at no longer being with us. I’m so sorry for you… Enjoy your family. You will always be with us in thought”. A message to which Benzema responded without any animosity. “Sad… It’s hard but it’s reality. In any case, my heart goes out to the team… Courage, determination, ambition! Hello everyone, thank you coach see you soon ». Relations between the two men then seemed completely normal and friendly. It was afterwards, when Deschamps came out of silence to respond to Riolo’s assertions, that Benzema did not accept the coach’s arguments by posting the offensive messages that we know on his social networks. However, The Team adds new elements.
In the media, the announcement of a complaint from Deschamps against Riolo leaked in March 2023. The journalist from RMC tries to protect his back and contacts Hakimi Chalabi. The latter is then recorded without his knowledge, but confirms that Benzema’s injury was less serious than expected. “Clearly, the MRI shows, on the crotch, a grade 1 low lesion (…) And in addition, it concerns old fibrosis of his injury which he had before the World Cup. We don’t work with idiots. Medically speaking, it is a grade 1 (…) And he was told a grade 2 (…) He (Franck Le Gall) lied to him. For what ? I don’t know “. Later, Chalibi sent the file of Benzema’s medical examinations to Real Madrid at the request of the striker’s agent. And the response from the Merengues doctor would then have been clear. “I don’t understand why they (the Blues) didn’t keep him.” Which probably explains why Karim Benzema still wants Didier Deschamps so much today…
