Tsunami accusations against French star Karim Benzema, captain of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, after a tweet in solidarity with Gaza, which has been subjected to genocide for 11 days that killed thousands of people and wounded more than 10,<>.

On the 15th of this month, Benzema tweeted a message of support for the Palestinian people on social networks, saying, "All our prayers are for the people of Gaza, victims once again of this unjust bombardment, from which neither women nor children have been spared."

The big wave in this tsunami was led by the statement of French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who considered Benzema to have "links to the Muslim Brotherhood", which sparked controversy in France on Wednesday after it went unnoticed at first.

Toutes nos prières pour les habitants de Gaza victimes une fois de plus de ces bombardements injustes qui n'épargnent ni femmes ni enfants.

— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) October 15, 2023

Links to the Brotherhood

Asked about the message the former Real Madrid player posted on social media in support of the Palestinian people, the minister replied that famous players like Benzema "have a responsibility and influence on the youth, which could have pushed him to be fairer".

The minister later raised the level of the attack on Benzema when he was answering a question about the government's measures to combat "terrorism on French soil", saying: "Weeks ago, I was particularly interested (...) to the Muslim Brotherhood," he said, referring at the time to Benzema's alleged links to the Brotherhood.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Karim Benzema (@karimbenzema)

The minister's comments did not resonate in France until they were published by Spanish media late on Tuesday.

Sources from the French Interior Ministry on Wednesday justified accusations by Darmanan that the player's recent actions constituted a "drift towards a strict and strict Islam".

Speaking to the French sports website RMC, ministry sources cited "several cases involving Benzema," such as:

  • He refused to sing the French national anthem at matches with France.
  • "Proselytizing" him on social networks "in favor of Muslims."
  • A picture next to Noureddine Mamoun who was investigated in connection with the murder of Professor Samuel Paty, who was beheaded in 2020 by a man of Chechen origin.

Hamas and French "agent" on paper

Benzema had supported Russian wrestler Khabib Nurmukhamedov, who posted a message attacking former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, calling in his official Instagram page that "the Almighty distorts this garbage," referring to Macron and "all his followers who, in the name of freedom of expression, insult the faith of more than one and a half billion (Muslims) people."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Karim Benzema (@karimbenzema)

For the French Interior Ministry, all of these cases do not allow him to be brought to court, but they are "a particularly vague signal to athletes with a large audience."

After the minister, French Senator Valéry Pouille demanded that French citizenship be revoked and Benzema revoked the Ballon d'Or.

Valerie Pouille said in a statement issued today that Benzema posted a tweet on his official account via the "X" platform, in which he expressed his support for the residents of Gaza because of the raids and shelling they are exposed to, adding that the French Interior Minister had in turn confirmed that Benzema "has a relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood."

Accordingly, the senator called for sanctions against Karim Benzema by withdrawing the Ballon d'Or he had won in 2022, and then submitting a formal request to revoke his French citizenship.

Yesterday, the minister and the deputy attacked former French minister Nadine Morano Benzema after his solidarity with the Palestinian people following the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Karim Benzema (@karimbenzema)

Speaking on CNN and Europe 1 radio, Murano said Benzema had chosen his camp and had become "an agent of Hamas's propaganda that also aims to destroy Israel."

Mourano, an important name within the Republican Party, denounced Benzema's failure to take any step in solidarity with what she called "Hamas Israeli victims."

In the same vein, far-right politician Jean Messiha wove it, who said that Benzema feels more connected to the Muslim nation than France and who, like many, is French only on paper.

97 caps

Benzema, 35, who earned 97 caps before ending his career with France in 2022 due to ongoing disagreements with coach Didier Deschamps, has been playing since this season at Al Ittihad, after 14 seasons at Real Madrid.

Although other French players supported the Palestinian people, such as Real Betis' Nabil Fekir, who showed his "unwavering support for the long-apartheid Palestinian people", the lightning attack was launched only on Benzema.