Benzema continues with the French national team, even if he is convicted in the "blackmail" case

The president of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet, confirmed that international striker Karim Benzema will not be excluded from the French national team, even if a ruling is issued condemning him in the case of extortion related to the sex tape.

In an interview published today in the daily "Le Parisien", Le Graet said that any decision about the players called up to the national team is in the hands of coach Didier Deschamps alone.

Benzema was excluded from the "Rooster" team for nearly five years before he was called up last May after being accused of involvement in an attempt to blackmail his former teammate, Mathieu Valbuena, with a sex tape.

The judgment will be issued in this case on the twenty-fourth of this month.

In this regard, Le Graet said, "The coach will be the only person who chooses the players and Benzema will not be excluded in the event of a judgment condemning him. It is up to Didier to make decisions related to the sport."

Benzema is expected to participate with his country against Kazakhstan in Paris on Saturday in the European qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Last month, the Versailles public prosecutor requested a 10-month suspended prison sentence against Benzema, while his lawyers considered that the prosecution had failed to provide evidence to convict the star of complicity in extortion.

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