Benzema, the Saudi Al-Ittihad player, filed a complaint against Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on charges of defamation (Getty)
Today, Thursday, a French court dropped the complaint of former French international star Karim Benzema, player of the Saudi Football Federation, against Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on charges of defamation.
Darmanin, the right-winger who aspires to reach the presidency, criticized Benzema after the striker, who won the Ballon d'Or for Best Player in 2022, published on the "X" website - in mid-October 2023 - a message of support for the residents of Gaza, the victims of the "unjust Israeli aggression."
Benzema said: “All our prayers are for the people of Gaza, who are once again victims of this unjust bombing, which did not spare women or children.”
The Interior Minister claimed that this position could be explained by Benzema's ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Benzema screen contains Darmanin class without the suite https://t.co/UjBfn0oP9U
— Foot Mercato (@footmercato) February 15, 2024
Darmanin said in a statement to C News, causing a storm on social media: “Karim Benzema has a relationship, as we all know, a notorious one, with the Muslim Brotherhood.”
In the complaint filed by lawyer Hugh Vigier on behalf of Benzema, the Al-Ittihad striker believed that these statements “undermine” his honor and reputation.
Benzema says: “I did not have the slightest connection to the Muslim Brotherhood, nor did he know of anyone claiming to be a member of it,” adding: “I realize the extent to which I am being used, because of my reputation, in political games, and it is the biggest scandal given that the events... "The drama that has occurred since October 7th deserves something completely different than these kinds of statements."
Prosecutor Remi Heitz said that the Court of Justice - the only French court authorized to try members of the government for crimes committed in the exercise of their duties - found no basis for any attack on his (Benzema) honor or reputation.
Source: French