Benzema back in France squad after 6-year exile

PARIS: France coach Didier Deschamps recalled forward Karim Benzema after nearly six years out for his alleged part in a “sex tape” scandal, including the Real Madrid star in his squad for the European Championship.

The 33-year-old Benzema played the last of his 81 games for Les Bleus in October 2015, scoring twice in a friendly against Armenia to take his international tally to 27 goals.

“Why now? I don’t have the capacity and no one does, not even Karim, of going back and changing the past,” Deschamps said when announcing his squad.

Benzema expressed his relief in a statement on his Twitter account. “So proud of this return to the France team and the trust I’ve been shown,” he wrote. “Thanks to my family, my friends, my club, to you (the fans) ... and to all who have supported me and given me strength every day.”

He had been banned from the national team because of the “sex tape” scandal in which he was allegedly involved in blackmailing former France teammate Matthieu Valbuena.

Benzema faced a deluge of criticism, and then-Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the forward had no place in the national team. Benzema, who is of Algerian descent, had a good relationship with Deschamps. But in an interview, he had accused Deschamps of giving in to pressure from racists when the coach decided not to include him in the squad for Euro 2016.

Deschamps, whose family home was tagged with offensive graffiti after Benzema’s interview, said he had spoken directly with Benzema to clear the air.

“Obviously to come to this decision there were important steps to take, one of which was very important. We met each other, we spoke for a long time,” Deschamps said.

Benzema has been in arguably the best form of his career, scoring 29 goals in 45 games this season and forming a close bond with Zinedine Zidane, the former France great who won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 in the same side as Deschamps.

Benzema has come into his own at Madrid since Cristiano Ronaldo left to join Juventus three years ago, moving up to fifth on the club’s all-time scoring list with 278 goals.

His return could cost Olivier Giroud his starting place in the national team due to lack of match fitness. Giroud has hardly played for Chelsea since Thomas Tuchel took charge of the Premier League team after Frank Lampard was fired, with Tuchel using him mostly as a substitute since February.