France striker Karim Benzema has been ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar after suffering an injury in training, the French Football Federation said on Saturday.
The Ballon d'Or holder trained with the squad for the first time since arriving in Qatar on Saturday but was forced to leave the session early with a thigh injury and scans ruled him out of the tournament.
"I am extremely sad for Karim who had made this World Cup a major objective.
"Despite this new blow for the French team, I have full confidence in my group.
"We will do everything to meet the huge challenge that awaits us," said coach Didier Deschamps in a statement.
Asked on Sunday by TeleFoot whether he would replace the Ballon d'Or winner in his squad, Deschamps said "No".
"This is a quality group," he added. "In everything they do, both on and off the pitch, they are united. I have confidence in them."
The 54-year-old brushed aside questions about the French team's handling of Benzema, who had been nursing an injury for the past month.
"I know that you're looking for controversy," he said. "But everything is under control, (the injury) was not even caused by him accelerating or shooting. Anyone could have a problem like that and get injured."
This story is from the November 21, 2022 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the November 21, 2022 edition of The Straits Times.
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