France won't select Benzema for Euro 2016
Euro 2016 has been shorn of a marquee player.
Karim Benzema announced Wednesday on Twitter that he will not be included in the French squad by manager Didier Deschamps for this summer's tournament.
"Unfortunately for me and for all those who have always supported me ... I will not be selected for our Euro in France," he wrote.
Though he didn't delve into further detail, the decision to omit the Real Madrid striker comes as a result of his involvement in an alleged blackmail scandal targeting compatriot and national teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
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The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed the news shortly after Benzema's revelation, outlining that the decision was reached after a meeting between president Noel Le Graet and Deschamps.
The president of the federation and the coach would agree that athletic performance is an important but not exclusive criteria for selecting the France national team. The ability of players work towards unity, in and around the group, are also taken into account. As a result, Noel Le Graet and Didier Deschamps decided that Karim Benzema will not participate in Euro 2016.
Benzema, 28, was suspended by France in December after being charged with complicity to blackmail and conspiring to commit a criminal act for his role in an alleged scheme to use a sex tape to extort the Lyon winger.
Legal restrictions barring Benzema from coming into contact with his diminutive compatriot were lifted by a judge last week, fueling speculation that he would indeed return to the squad and partake in Euro 2016 this summer on home soil.
That, obviously, didn't materialize.
Despite the controversy and injury concerns surrounding him, Benzema's scoring exploits cannot be questioned; the former Lyon frontman has found the net 25 times in 27 matches for Real Madrid this season in all competitions.
His absence this summer, however, will be offset by a French squad that's loaded with an almost unfair collection of attacking talent. Olivier Giroud will likely lead the line in lieu of Benzema, with Antoine Griezmann, Anthony Martial, and Kingsley Coman expected to be the leading candidates to start as wingers in Deschamps' preferred 4-3-3 formation.