2023-09-08 20:25:08
It wasn’t really an invitation, but rather a summons. Before the holidays, the French parliament spoke with Karim Benzema and his lawyers, so that he could be heard within the framework of the commission of inquiry relating to “the identification of operational failures within the French sports federations” . A commission created on June 20, 2023 and which has already seen many notable witnesses pass before its members from all branches of the great family of French sport, managers, athletes, former champions, researchers or journalists.
A request that the former French international (97 caps, 37 goals) initially… declined, through his lawyers, on the grounds that he has been living abroad, more precisely in Saudi Arabia since this summer . An excuse that the National Assembly rejects, while several sources close to the commission of inquiry confirm that these summons are not optional and that any French citizen, even residing abroad, is required to respond under penalty of prosecutions, as provided for in Article 6 of Ordinance No. 58-1100 of November 17, 1958.
Summoned to talk about racism
In the middle of the week, the commission notified Benzema and his lawyers of this obligation. All that remains is to determine the date of this hearing which could, at the request of the player’s camp, nevertheless be done behind closed doors and remotely, by videoconference. Some have been broadcast publicly and are visible on the National Assembly website, including the heartbreaking one of former tennis player Angélique Cauchy.
Karim Benzema is one of many personalities from the world of sport, and particularly football, who have been identified to testify as part of this commission of inquiry. “We hear from many victims of violence, whether sexist and sexual, racist, discriminatory, homophobic,” explains the commission’s rapporteur, Sabrina Sebaihi (NUPES). Mr. Benzema has been identified as a potential victim of racist acts. » In particular, his long quarrel with the French team and with the coach Didier Deschamps, at the height of which the one who then played for Real Madrid had accused the coach of having “given in under the pressure of a racist party from France “.
In addition to Karim Benzema, the two 1998 world champions Laurent Blanc and Patrick Vieira but also Yannick Noah must be heard by this commission in the coming days. The hearings should last until mid-November, with a report submitted in mid-December. Beyond the interest in hearing from these figures of French sport for their expertise and their experience, certain people close to this commission of inquiry also evoke a potential big spotlight for this parliamentary work, the visibility of which can also condition reception and consequences.
“We receive a lot of testimonies, requests from victims of rape within federations,” says Ms. Sebaihi. We hope that the simple fact of working on it will help to make things happen and push the federations to make changes. »
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