French PM says too early to talk about Benzema’s return

Paris, March 15: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said he believes it is too early to talk about the return of Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema to the national football squad, amid accusations he was involved in a plot to blackmail his teammate Mathieu Valbuena with a sex tape including footage of the latter and his wife.

"I think that the conditions have not yet been met for Karim Benzema to come into the France team. He is still under investigation," Efe quoted Valls as saying in an interview with French broadcaster RMC on Tuesday. 

The French prime minister added that sportsmen should be role models, and stressed that his statements do not represent the decisions of the national federation or head coach Didier Deschamps.

The French judiciary decided last Friday to partially lift the judicial control imposed on Benzema, especially the ban regarding establishing contacts with Valbuena, and both players can now play alongside each other in the national team.