France Minister of Interior Gerald Darmanin has claimed that Karim Benzema has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. The group has been labeled by several nations as a terrorist organization. This includes Saudi Arabia, the country where Benzema currently plays club soccer for Al-Ittihad.
The French official made the claims during an interview on CNews Network. “Mister Karim Benzema has notorious ties, as we all know, with the Muslim Brotherhood,” stated Darmanin.
Benzema recently took to Instagram to voice his support for people in Gaza during the recent attacks. “All our prayers go out for all the Gaza inhabitants who are once more victims of unfair bombings that don’t forgive women or children,” said the soccer star.
Senator calls on severe punishment for French forward
Following Darmanin’s comments regarding Benzema, fellow French politician Valerie Boyer has called for the striker to be stripped of his recent Ballon d’Or award. This is, of course, assuming that Benzema has real ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The senator also called on Benzema to lose his French citizenship as well. The star striker was born in Lyon, France to parents of Algerian descent. “We cannot accept that a French dual national, internationally known, could dishonor and even betray our country in this way,” Boyer posted on social media.
Benzema won Ballon d’Or after stellar season with Real Madrid
Benzema shocked many around the sport by collecting the 2022 Ballon d’Or award. The France international edged out Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne for the trophy. It was the first time since 2006 that Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo did not finish in the top three of the voting.
The former Real Madrid star collected the prestigious award after guiding the team to two top trophies. Real won the LaLiga title and triumphed in the Champions League as well. Benzema became the fifth French player to ever win the award.
PHOTO: IMAGO & NurPhoto
