Benzema was omitted from Les Bleus' 23-man squad after he was charged with conspiracy to blackmail as part of a reported attempt to extort money from his France teammate Mathieu Valbuena. It came as a huge blow for the hosts, as they entered this competition without the Real Madrid star. However, ever since the start of this top-flight tournament, Benzema's name has been barely mentioned due to France's goalscorers Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet.
Speaking at a general press conference, Giroud insists that the absence of La Liga striker has not given him any extra motivation.
"I admit that I don't think about that, I think about the objective of the team, the game.
"I'm not making it a personal issue. Karim is a player of the French team -- he will be brought back. I have no problem with him. I don't want any misunderstandings, innuendo or any sentences taken out of context, so I have nothing special to say in relation to that.
"I'm enjoying myself playing in the competition with France, and I'm trying to achieve our goal. Full stop."
The Arsenal forward scored a brace in France's convincing 5-2 UEFA Euro 2016 quarter-final win over Iceland and will be looking to extend his goal tally against the Germans.
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