Big news from France this evening.
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has this evening confirmed that he will not be part of the French squad for Euro 2016.
Benzema met with manager of the French national team, Didier Deschamps and Noël Le Graët, President of the French Federation, in Paris today to decide whether or not he should be selected for the Euro 2016 squad in the wake of a sex tape blackmail scandal that has caused huge controversy in recent months.
The scandal concerns the alleged attempt by a friend of Benzema to blackmail his French teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.
Benzema was formally investigated as a result, but his lawyer claims he was not party to any blackmail attempt.
Benzema this evening posted the following message on Twitter, thanking those who supported him and confirming he would not be part of the squad for the tournament which takes place in France this summer.
Malheureusement pour moi et pour tous ceux qui m'ont toujours soutenu et supporté. Je ne serai pas sélectionné pour notre Euro en France…
— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) April 13, 2016
Benzema last played for France against Armenia in October; he was left out of the squad for friendlies against Holland and Russia last month.
