France denounces Benzema, Algeria presents him with an Order of Merit

The Algerian Olympic Committee decided to award Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema the Olympic Medal of Merit.

In a statement on Thursday, the committee stated that its executive office members unanimously agreed to award Benzema the Olympic Medal of Merit, along with two journalists.

The same committee did not reveal the way the former French striker will be honored, nor the date of the upcoming ceremony, while media sources confirmed that the player will be awarded the medal during an official visit to Algeria before the end of this year.

Benzema, who is of Algerian descent, did not hide his affiliation and attachment to the homeland of his fathers and grandfathers, and recently alluded to his desire to play for the Algerian national team if the French Federation officials allowed him to do so.

The former striker of the French club Lyon interacted with the results of the Algerian national team during the recent African Nations Cup which ended in the coronation of desert warriors, and published a picture of him in the national team jersey, and sent messages of encouragement to his players.

The head of the French Football Federation, Noel Lugrabet, had announced earlier that the Benzema era with the French national team had ended.

Benzema has been excluded from the French national team since 2015 because of his involvement in a blackmail case against his former team-mate, Matteo Valbuena.