Karim Benzema returns to ‘furious’ Saudi club 17 days late
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Karim Benzema will likely remain with Al-Ittihad despite being linked with European clubs in this January transfer window.
PHOTO: AFP
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RIYADH – French forward Karim Benzema has returned to Saudi Arabia 17 days after he was supposed to check back in with his club Al-Ittihad, a source close to them said on Jan 19.
Club officials were said to be “furious” with his behaviour but there is no chance of him ending his contract in January despite speculation linking him with European clubs, the source added.
Benzema left for a holiday during the Saudi Pro League’s mid-season break three weeks ago and shut down his Instagram account, which is followed by 76 million users.
A different source said Benzema, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2022 and is reportedly being paid €100 million (S$146 million) a season, had been on holiday in Mauritius until Jan 15.
“Benzema arrived Thursday evening, 17 days late. He should have returned on Jan 2,” the source close to the club said. “We couldn’t reach him for 10 days. The club management and the coach are furious with what happened.
“There will be a meeting with the club board to explain what happened and discuss his future.”
The source added that Benzema remains captain of Al-Ittihad and there was “no option” for him to leave the club. Some reports have linked him with a move to English Premier League sides Chelsea and Arsenal.
The Frenchman was one of the biggest names to move to the Saudi Pro League in 2023, along with Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Neymar and a host of other players from Europe’s top leagues.
Benzema’s club, one of four in the league owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, slipped to seventh in the table in December after three consecutive defeats, leading to the 36-year-old being booed by supporters.
The season resumes on Feb 7.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, insisted that the Saudi Pro League was “more competitive” than the French Ligue 1.
“To be honest, I think the Saudi championship isn’t worse than the French championship. I think it’s more competitive,” the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has never played in France, told the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai.
The 38-year-old Portuguese striker was the first major star to move to Saudi Arabia when he joined Al-Nassr in January 2023.
Asked about the often-derided level of the Saudi Pro League, he added: “They can say what they want, it’s just my opinion. I have played there for a year, so I know what I’m talking about.
“I think that now we are better than the French championship and we continue to improve.” AFP
