The France striker Karim Benzema has said he does not fear missing the European Championships on home turf and dismissed accusations that he spat during the singing of the French national anthem before last month’s clásico.
The Real Madrid striker scored twice in Saturday’s victory over Getafe to take his season’s tally to eight goals. Benzema has been placed under formal judicial investigation in connection with an alleged attempt to blackmail a fellow footballer, Mathieu Valbuena, over a sex-tape. He has admitted his involvement in the alleged extortion case but has said he played no part in any attempted blackmail.
However, despite the French prime minister, Manuel Valls, insisting that all athletes should forgo their chance to represent the national team if they are not “exemplary”, Benzema has insisted he has no concerns about being left out of the squad by Didier Deschamps and would welcome the opportunity to play alongside Valbuena next summer.
“I’m not worried because there are a lot of things in life that should really be worried about,” he said in an interview with the French television channel TF1. “The Euros are a big deal and I dream of playing in them, like many players. And it’s in France, so that’s even better. I’m not worried and hope this is all sorted out soon so I can play at them.”
Benzema added: “Mathieu is a good player. France needs him and they need me too. I have nothing against him.”
The 27-year-old was also criticised after he was shown spitting at the end of La Marseillaisebefore the meeting with Barcelona at the Bernabéu. But Benzema denied he was being disrespectful to the victims of last month’s Paris attacks.
He said: “It’s shameful, it’s sickening that these stories are made up. As the national anthem was being played, I was fully concentrating, thinking of the victims and their families, about my family and football. At no point in time was I thinking that I’d spit at La Marseillaise, or anything of that nature. It’s deplorable that I’m being depicted as someone who has no respect for their country, and for those who lost their lives. All this has affected me, it hurts.”
