Karim Benzema has been sent into exile by his national team, but the striker has now received support from his former manager Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian boss, who coached the striker during his days as Real Madrid boss, has called for France to rethink their decision regarding the forward.
The 28-year-old found himself in legal hot water after being implicated in a plot to extort money from countryman Mathieu Valbuena with a sex tape allegedly featuring the midfielder. A case was opened against the Blancos ace, but he is yet to be found guilty.
Nonetheless, the damage to his international career was already done, as he was excluded from the Euro 2016 squad by Didier Deschamps. Although that decision was expected, many felt it was the wrong one after losing the final on home soil.
Carletto has now joined the debate, subtly throwing his support behind Benzema. The Bayern Munich manager claimed that Les Bleus' fate in the European Champions could have been different if Karim was there. Ancelotti said (as per Marca):
"I'm sad about it. Karim deserves to play for the French team, the French team has not won the European Championship, and I think with Karim it could have been different."
Although the door has been left open for his return, Deschamps is yet to recall the former Lyon striker back to the national side.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
