Karim Benzema wants to play for France at Euro 2016 alongside Mathieu Valbuena
Karim Benzema has spoken of his hope that he can play for France at Euro 2016 alongside Mathieu Valbuena.
The
Real Madrid striker is facing charges of conspiracy to blackmail over
an alleged extortion attempt involving a sex-tape of the Lyon
playmaker.
He denies the charges and Benzema's
agent Sylvain Cormier has protested his client's innocence, saying he
is "absolutely calm and beyond reproach".
Valbuena
broke his silence on the matter by stating he was "more than
disappointed" with Benzema in an interview with Le Monde, but the
forward hopes to see an amicable resolution to the case - and one that
does not damage France's hopes of European Championship glory on home
soil.
"Hopefully it will end well, we will all be
okay... and we will all return to the France team to win those Euros,"
Benzema told TF1, with the full interview set to be broadcast later on
Wednesday.
The French Football Federation has
confirmed its own legal action over the case, with parties in French law
able to make claims for compensation if they feel they have suffered
damage or injury.
French Prime Minister Manuel
Valls also appeared to suggest Benzema had "no place" in the France
squad due to the allegations, but Benzema is determined to clear his
name, adding: "I'm not playing for the cameras. I'm not playing a
game."
France coach Didier Deschamps left both
players out of his party for the friendly games with Germany and
England last month, though Benzema would likely have been rested anyway
as a result of a hamstring problem.
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