Didier Deschamps would be open to including Karim Benzema in France’s European Championship squad should the striker be cleared to play.
The Real Madrid player was questioned by police in November in connection with an alleged blackmail of a France team-mate, Mathieu Valbuena, related to the reported existence of a sex-tape featuring the Lyon playmaker.
Benzema was ordered by a judge not to have any contact with Valbuena and was consequently banned from the national team by the French Football Federation president, Noël Le Graët.
Deschamps would love to have him available for the tournament but told Canal+: “There is the law, and there is the federation. As of today, he is still not available so I cannot select him. It would need my president to decide [if he can play] and for the law to give a positive answer as well.
“If I found myself in that situation, I would consider it and make my decision. Things can change. From a sporting point of view, I want to have the best team and therefore the best players. But in this case, there is also a judicial panel. We have to see how things develop.”
Valbuena was also absent from Les Bleus’ last squad, with his club form having slipped in the wake of the revelations.
Deschamps said: “He is a victim, it is clear. This episode has affected him psychologically and has affected his performances with Lyon, but he is still a high-quality player. Anyone can get into the squad and anyone can drop out of it.”
