Deschamps talks about Benzema's move to Qatar
These include the case of Karim Benzema, who travelled to Qatar with the French team before withdrawing just a few days before the start of the tournament.
Deschamps went back over his discussion with KB9 on the night of his withdrawal: "I'm losing a very important player, another one. I have to accept that. Karim is devastated because this World Cup meant so much to him. He says to me, 'It's dead'.
The striker will be leaving the Les Bleus hotel as soon as possible. "When I left him, I said to him: Karim, there's no hurry. You organise your return with the team manager. When I woke up, I learned that he had left. It's his decision, he won't tell you otherwise, and I understand and respect it.
The coach also defended himself against any potential unease surrounding the situation of the Ballon d'Or winner, Les Bleus' top scorer at the Euros: "
Not at all. No player rejoiced at his departure as I may have heard or read. Karim knows it too.
The two men recently spoke about the future, but Benzema will not be returning to wear the colours of the Rooster. He's confirmed to me that he's decided to end his international career," continues DD. Don't ask me for his arguments. It's up to him whether or not he communicates them.
"Liar!" Benzema's riposte
These statements were quick to provoke a reaction from the man himself, who had already implied that the official version of events was not entirely accurate.
His response was posted in a two-part Instagram story, firstly highlighting DD's "audacity".
Before an even more explicit video message: "Liar! Yes, you, liar. You're a liar. You're a big liar."
A video message accompanied by the following caption: Sacré Didier, good night".
Text by Goal.com Robert Oleksiak
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