Karim Benzema appears to currently be enjoying his lot at Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.
The former Real Madrid stalwart left Los Blancos to take the riches on offer in the Emirates and, at present, his side are in fourth place and four points behind current leaders, Al Hilal.
The table toppers were hit with a terrible blow on Wednesday as it was confirmed that star man, Neymar, is out for months with a torn meniscus and ACL, however, Benzema could find himself potentially out of the game for good if alleged terrorist links are confirmed.
On Tuesday, French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, accused Benzema of having links to The Muslim Brotherhood, who are recognised by many countries as being a terrorist organisation according to Mundo Deportivo.
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El ministro de Interior francés, Gérald Darmanin, ha acusado al jugador de fútbol Karim Benzema de estar vinculado a los ‘Hermanos Musulmanes’, una organización islámica considerada terrorista en Francia
“El señor Karim Benzema tiene vínculos notorios con los… pic.twitter.com/rGDLiSJ0Eu
— Emily Habsburg (@emily_habsburg) October 17, 2023
Coming as it did on live television, the accusations were shocking and there has, of course, been a reaction to them.
Conservative, Valerie Boyer, called for Benzema to be stripped of his Ballon d’Or and nationality in a statement via Relevo (h/t Football Espana).
“If the Interior Minister’s claims are confirmed, we have to consider sanctions against Karim Benzema. A symbolic sanction would first be to take away the Ballon d’Or. Then, we have to ask for his nationality to be withdrawn,” she said.
“We cannot accept that a French bi-national, a recognized international, dishonours and betrays our country in this way.”
It’s an astonishing turn of events for the player who has had his fair share of off-field controversy to deal with during his career.
This accusation is clearly the most serious of them all and would surely see Benzema as persona non grata in the entire football community if the allegations are proven.
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