Benzema, French minister clash over 'Muslim Brotherhood' claim / Photo: - - AFP
-
South African election results renew debate over identity-based voting
-
Post-election pressures complicate US and Israeli decisions on Iran
-
South African voters report smoother local election but declining IEC trust
-
UN members approve talks on treaty protocol against environmental crime
-
Dolly Parton museum and Nashville hotel open after singer’s death
-
Family-run West Sussex beach café prepares for first winter season
-
George and Amal Clooney attend New York political-comedy reading
-
CT scans reveal health and burial clues from Egypt’s Braided Lady mummy
-
British buyers pay substantial premiums for period-home appearance
-
Oxford faces complaints over lecturer’s classroom attire
-
Thomas Markle released to house arrest after child-abuse-image charge
-
Kyren Wilson and John Higgins reach International Championship snooker final
-
Dawn of War 4 developers chose Adeptus Mechanicus for tactical variety
-
New Zealand and Tonga meet for place in Rugby League World Cup final
-
Italy face unbeaten South Africa in Turin Nations Championship match
-
Reports of unsafe AI-toy responses renew calls for child-safety rules
-
ChatGPT interactive interface feature tested across six custom tools
-
Juneau food network combines difficult supply routes with deep sharing traditions
-
Freshways milk-price cut deepens pressure on UK dairy farms
-
India climbs green-transition ranking after first emissions decline in 25 years
-
Labour and National remain virtually tied as New Zealand vote count advances
-
Trump names Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff after midterm losses
-
The Good Daughter adapts Karin Slaughter thriller with Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy
-
Restored Albanian tower houses anchor new rural tourism trail
-
Heavy-lift drone evacuates wounded Ukrainian soldier from frontline kill zone
-
Sonia Gandhi reflects on family tragedy and reluctant political career
-
Morrison says West Brom recovered after pressure from successive derby losses
-
Pope Leo begins three-country South American tour in Uruguay
-
Britain considers 2027 state visit for Ukraine’s Zelensky
-
Khawaja says entire Australia camp knew of 2018 ball-tampering plan
Benzema, French minister clash over 'Muslim Brotherhood' claim
The lawyer of Karim Benzema has hit back at France's interior minister after he accused the French football star who plays for Saudi team Al-Ittihad of links to the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist group.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin made the accusations after the reigning Ballon d'Or winner and former Real Madrid forward posted a message on social media about the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
"All our prayers are for the inhabitants of Gaza who are once again victims of these unjust bombings which spare no women or children," Benzema wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Hamas on October 7 launched shock raids into Israel, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and seizing about 200 hostages.
Israel has since then launched wave after wave of retaliatory air strikes, killing more than 3,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Darmanin, speaking on the CNews Channel, alleged that Benzema "has a notorious link with the Muslim Brotherhood", a Sunni Muslim Islamist group with its origins in Egypt that is now banned by Cairo.
"This is false! Karim Benzema has never had the slightest relationship with this organisation," Benzema's layer Hugues Vigier said in a statement.
He said that Benzema was expressing "natural compassion" with "what many today describe as war crimes being committed in Gaza, but which does not detract from the horror of the terrorist acts of October 7, something not open to discussion".
The lawyer added that he was planning to file a complaint against Darmanin for his comments.
Benzema, 35, who was born in France to parents of Algerian origin, has been one of the standout French stars of the last decade.
He joined the Saudi club on a hugely lucrative three-year deal this year after 14 seasons with Real Madrid where he lifted five Champions Leagues, four La Liga titles and three Copas del Rey.
But after a stellar 2021-22 season when he led Real to Champions League glory and was rewarded with the Ballon d'Or for the world's best player, he was troubled by injuries that ruled him out of France's World Cup campaign in Qatar last year.
Darmanin, 41, has carved out a reputation as a hardliner in the mould of his political mentor ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy and makes no secret of his own presidential ambitions.
O.Norris--AMWN
