Karim Benzema’s bust-up with Didier Deschamps continues as his agent publishes evidence he was fit

Karim Benzema’s agent Karim Djaziri has added further fuel to the fire regarding the forward’s bust-up with Didier Deschamps after publishing evidence about his reported injury that saw him miss the World Cup.

Benzema was sent home on the eve of the tournament after picking up a knock, but there was some speculation that he could have returned for the final after playing in a friendly for Real Madrid.

However, he reportedly rejected the opportunity to go back to Qatar after falling out with manager Didier Deschamps, and took to social media to confirm that he has decided to call time on his international career after the final defeat.

Karim Benzema’s agent, Karim Djaziri, has added further fuel to the fire regarding the forward’s bust-up with Didier Deschamps after publishing evidence about his reported injury 

Djaziri shared information from medical tests which showed Benzema would’ve been fit for the knockout stages

Djaziri (L) seemed to publicly call out Deschamps on why he sent Benzema (R) back home 

Benzema had reportedly felt his injury was only minor and there was no need to be sent home as it only required three days of treatment at Real Madrid’s training base.

He is said to have wanted to stay with the French squad to receive treatment, but was sent away from the camp by Deschamps.

And Djaziri has now taken the bust-up to a new level after posting evidence on Twitter which claims that Benzema would have been fit for the last-16 round of the tournament and there was no need for him to be sent home from the squad.  

He shared a video which included images of Benzema’s injury after tests were carried out in Qatar which led to him being ruled out.

In a clear dig to Deschamps, Djaziri questioned him as to why he had sent his client home

Benzema flew home before the tournament due to an injury, but it was not a long term knock and he rejected the opportunity to return amid a fallout with Didier Deschamps

The video he shared included scans Benzema’s undertook after suffering the injury

Accompanying the video, Djaziri said: ‘I put that there but before that I consulted 3 specialists who confirm the diagnosis that Benzema could have been fit from the last 16 to at least be on the bench! Why did you ask him to leave so quickly?,’ in a clear dig at Deschamps. 

Spanish outlet Marca had previously reported that Benzema would have been fit for the World Cup knockout rounds after needing just a three-week lay off from the injury he suffered on November 19.

When France played Poland in the last-16 on December 4, it was reportedly the same time as Benzema was off on holiday on the island of Reunion.

The report states the French striker went on holiday in perfect condition while on that day, Deschamps had definitively ruled out him returning to Qatar to join the squad.

The posts from Djaziri questioning the legitimacy of Deschamps’s actions to rule out Benzema come after Spanish news outlet AS reported that French team-mate Antoine Griezmann felt too much social media coverage was spent on the Real Madrid striker and not covering him during the build up to, and during the tournament.

The report goes on to claim that Griezmann was ‘concerned’ over how little he appeared on social media compared to Benzema, which nearly prompted an ‘executive meeting’ with the French Football Federation to address these concerns.

Benzema’s (right) presence in Qatar reportedly caused tension with Antoine Griezmann (left) 

Benzema’s acrimonious World Cup exit has continued to dominate headlines with the 35-year-old also unfollowing almost all of his former France team-mates on Instagram.

With Griezmann among those to receive the cold shoulder, AS are also reporting that two others who are no longer followed by Benzema – Olivier Giroud and Les Bleus captain Hugo Lloris – are also said to have ‘expressed doubts’ over Benzema’s impact on the squad.

Paul Pogba, who was not called up to France’s World Cup squad due to injury, is also reportedly said to have doubts over Benzema’s role in the team. 

Benzema’s cull of his social media saw him unfollow all but five of his former teammates on the national squad, who are Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Kylian Mbappe, Raphael Varane and Marcus Thuram.

Benzema’s Instagram page as of December 23, where he follows 125 Instagram accounts

He follows Eduardo Camavinga (L) and Aurelien Tchouaméni, but no longer follows Paul Pogba

Camavinga and Tchouameni are Benzema’s team-mates at Madrid, while Varane used to play alongside the striker at Los Blancos. He still follows former Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, who has been strongly linked with the national team post as Deschamps weighs up his future.

Since Benzema’s retirement, footage has emerged of the 35-year-old receiving a frosty reception from his former teammates upon his return to the national team last year.

Deschamps gave a speech during a team meal to welcome the Madrid striker back into the fold, but fans spotted Les Bleus captain Hugo Lloris with a thunderous look on his face, sparking speculation that not every French player was on board with his return. 

‘I made the effort and the mistakes it took to be where I am today and I’m proud of it! I have written my story and ours is ending,’ Benzema wrote on Instagram last week when announcing his international retirement. 

The likes of Olivier Giroud (left) and Hugo Lloris (right) feared Benzema would be a bad influence

Benzema also rejected an offer from French president Emmanuel Macron to take his personal private jet to Qatar for the World Cup final.

That followed his ‘I’m not interested’ message ahead of the final as he strongly hinted he would snub any call-up.

He did, however, post a good luck message to his team-mates on the day of the clash with Argentina that read: ‘It’s time… all together. Vamonos. Come on Les Bleus.’

Deschamps is planning to hold talks with the French Football Federation in the new year over his future, but Benzema opted to not wait to see how those discussions play out and quit the national team.

Benzema finished his France career with 37 goals in 97 caps, but his journey with the national team was far from smooth since his debut 15 years ago.

Benzema made his international debut against Austria in March 2007 and scored during his substitute appearance in the second-half.

He was selected for France’s Euro 2008 squad but was criticised for his performances in the group stages of the tournament as the team crashed out early.

Benzema ended his controversial international career with 37 goals in 97 caps for France

Despite playing regularly during the qualification campaign, Benzema was left out of France’s squad for the 2010 World Cup, though coach Raymond Domenech insisted it was due to his club form with Real Madrid rather than his alleged involvement in a sex scandal at the time.

Benzema would play at Euro 2012 and World Cup 2014 but his part in the sex tape blackmail plot involving France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena led to a five-year absence from the international fold, which included their victorious 2018 World Cup campaign.

He returned to the France squad for Euro 2020 last year and scored four goals during the tournament to end up as the third-highest goalscorer.

After impressing in the UEFA Nations League finals, Benzema won the first trophy of his time with the national side.

Following an excellent year in which he won the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, Benzema had expected to be a force in the French attack at the World Cup until his injury intervened.