Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema reportedly has no plans of travelling to Qatar for the World Cup final because he is furious with France manager Didier Deschamps.
The Frenchman was ruled out of the tournament a day before it began due to a thigh injury he picked up in France’s first training session in Doha.
But he has since returned to fitness and was rumoured to be ready to fly to Qatar to represent his nation in the final, having not been removed from the World Cup squad despite his injury.
However, according to Spanish publication Libertad Digital via Sportsmail, Benzema will not be joining Les Bleus because he is unhappy with the way he was treated by Deschamps, who is claimed to have sent the striker home after his injury. The Ballon d’Or winner was also annoyed with the coach’s comments made in a press conference about the striker.
Benzema, it is said, needed just three days of treatment at Real Madrid’s training facility, a situation that could have been handled in the French camp in Qatar.
When asked recently if Benzema could feature in Sunday’s final with Argentina, Deschamps appeared to be uneasy.
“I don’t really want to answer that question,” he said.
Benzema is still a registered member of the France squad and would be a world champion if France retain their trophy from 2018. However, he does not intend to go back to the France camp because he reportedly did not leave the base the first time of his own free will. The 34-year-old feels he was ‘sent off’ by the manager and doesn’t want to return, given that Deschamps never wanted him.
Benzema is already fit and played a friendly for Real Madrid against Leganes. According to reports, he had ‘no kind of physical problem’ during the match.
While Real Madrid will not hold back Benzema should Fence call him, Les Bleus have done well without him. The defending champions have won all but one of their games – which was a 1-0 loss to Tunisia in the group stages.
Some statistics are purely coincidental… Benzema not playing in Qatar World Cup was unfortunate and would upset his fans from France and all over the world.
