Karim Benzema Says Didier Deschamps' Euro 2016 Squad Selection 'Bowed' to Racism

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has accused France manager Didier Deschamps of having "bowed" to racist pressure after the forward was left out of the squad for the UEFA European Championships.

Benzema was charged with conspiracy to blackmail last year amid allegations of a plot involving a sex tape featuring his France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena; the charges prompted the French Football Federation to suspend him from the national team until verdicts had been reached.

Former Les Bleus forward Eric Cantona claimed recently the reason why some players have been left out of the squad, like Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa, is because of their African origins, per the Guardian (h/t BBC Sport). The Los Blancos man, speaking with Marca (h/t Alex Richards of the Daily Mirror), offered a similar opinion:

"

[Deschamps] has bowed to the pressure of a racist part of France. He has to know that in France the extremist party reached the second round in the last two elections.

I do not know, therefore, whether it is a decision only for Didier because I've gotten along with him, with the president (of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet) and everyone.

"

FRANCK FIFE/Getty Images

The party Benzema, who is of Algerian descent, is referring to is the far-right National Front, a political faction with a history of racism and anti-semitism. Per BBC, having progressed to the second round of municipal polls, the party failed to come out on top in any of the 13 regions, despite having won six in the opening round of balloting.

Benzema also stated he feels he has something to offer in footballing terms and should be allowed to show as much. “They said I cannot be selected, fine. But on a sporting level, I don't understand why," he said. "At the judicial level, I have not been judged. I am not guilty, so we have to wait to see what the justice says.”

As noted by Richards, Benzema is accused of having encouraged Valbuena to pay blackmailers as part of the plot, and if found guilty of the charges put to him he could face a possible five years in prison.

In the same interview the 28-year-old opened up on the incident in question. “The only person who knows what happened in this affair, who knows the truth, is Valbuena," Benzema said. "He played a role, he has not told the truth. I wanted to help him, nothing more, and the whole thing blew up in my face.”

If the squad selection was made based entirely on the talent of players, the Real Madrid man would be a key member of Deschamps’ side. As these numbers from OptaJose illustrate, Benzema has just enjoyed the finest goalscoring season of his entire career:

His omission leaves France without a truly elite centre-forward. Neither Kevin Gameiro nor Alexandre Lacazette have been included in the 23-man party for the finals, while Olivier Giroud and Andre-Pierre Gignac, while capable target men, do not have the dynamism someone like Benzema possesses.

David Vincent/Associated Press

So you suspect leaving him out was not an easy decision for Deschamps or anyone involved with the FFF. Benzema is one of the best strikers in the world, and his talent, goalscoring instincts and big-game experience will be a huge miss for France this summer.