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Huge blow to France: Karim Benzema ruled out of World Cup

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Karim Benzema has been ruled out of the World Cup in a huge blow to France’s chances in Qatar.

The Real Madrid forward and current Ballon d’Or holder sustained a thigh injury in training with Les Bleus on Saturday evening and examinations have determined he will play no part in the tournament.

Benzema had been suffering from a hamstring injury but it is a tear to the left thigh which ends his World Cup dream. The 34-year-old carried on throughout the session but was then sent for an MRI test at Aspetar Hospital in Doha, where his worst fears were confirmed.

Benzema broke his silence after the news and said: “In my life I have never given up but tonight I have to think about the team as I have always done so reason tells me to leave my place to someone who can help our group make a good World Cup. Thank you for all your messages of support.”

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France tweeted: “Hit in the quadriceps of the left thigh, Karim Benzema is forced to give up participating in the World Cup. The whole team shares Karim’s sadness and wishes him a speedy recovery.”

Boss Didier Deschamps added: “I am extremely sad for Karim who made this World Cup a major goal. Despite this new setback, I have full confidence in my group. We will do everything to meet the immense challenge that awaits us.”

After consulting with France staff, the decision was made for Benzema to withdraw from the squad, with Deschamps now having until Monday to call up a replacement, ahead of their first match of the World Cup against Australia on Tuesday.

Benzema took part in the training session on Saturday before he was sent for an MRI scan ( Image: Getty Images)
Can France still win the World Cup without Benzema? Have your say in the comments below.

France have already lost several players due to injury, including Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Mike Maignan and Christopher Nkunku.

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It comes as a particularly cruel blow for Benzema, whose standout performances for club and country in 2022 saw him crowned Ballon d’Or winner just last month. Benzema also missed the last World Cup due to being exiled from the squad over his alleged blackmail of ex-France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena.

Deschamps offered Benzema a reprieve by bringing him out from the cold and back into the international set-up, with the forward forming a superb partnership with Kylian Mbappe in attack.

While Mbappe is still considered France’s star man, Benzema’s absence will be sorely felt. It was the Madrid star who put in a Man of the Match display against Spain to win the Nations League final for France in October last year, with both he and Mbappe scoring the goals in a 2-1 win.

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BREAKING: CAF overturns Afcon final result, declares Morocco winner

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The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals and declare MOROCCO the winner of the title.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January in a match which was overshadowed when the Senegalese players refused to play after the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.

Following a delay of around 17 minutes, the players did eventually return and Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved before Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored an extra-time winner.

However, that result has now been overturned by CAF.

A statement by the African Football’s Governing Body said that Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” with the “result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.

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FG  fulfils promises as D’Tigress receive national honours, house documents

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The Federal Government has fulfilled its outstanding promises to the senior women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, delivering National Honour certificates and title documents for houses in Abuja.

The presentation took place in Lyon, where the African Champions are currently participating  at  the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

The move follows a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu aimed at clearing a backlog of promises made to the team following their 2023 Afrobasket victory in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, led the delegation alongside the Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade. Speaking during the handover, Dikko characterized the prompt delivery as a “clear departure” from previous administrations, where state-promised rewards often faced multi-year delays.

“This is a prompt fulfilment of promises made by a President who leads with action,” Dikko stated. “Mr. President is giving every Nigerian athlete a renewed confidence that sports is a serious business capable of changing lives.”

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While the physical assets (housing and honours) have been delivered, the NSC Chairman confirmed that the cash rewards promised to the squad are currently in the final stages of administrative processing. He assured the players that disbursement into their respective bank accounts is imminent.

The Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade, noted that the current administration of President Tinubu  is institutionalizing a “reward system” modelled after developed sporting nations to ensure high-performance outcomes.

President of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Engr. Musa Kida, credited the Presidency for prioritizing athlete welfare, citing it as a “legacy of a lifetime” for the sports sector.

Head Coach Rena Wakama and Captain Amy Okonkwo formally accepted the documents, affirming that the timely delivery of these incentives would serve as a catalyst for the team’s upcoming international qualifiers.

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BREAKING: Ex-Eagles captainHenry Nwosu dies aged 62

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Henry Nwosu, a former Nigerian international footballer and member of the 1980 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) winning team, has passed away.

He was 62.

His death was confirmed by fellow ex-international Segun Odegbami in a Facebook post on Saturday.

According to Odegbami, Nwosu passed away at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja after a five-day battle for his life.

He also revealed the details of Nwosu’s final days, stating that the man he fondly called “Youngest Millionaire” died at 4:00 a.m. after being in intensive care since Wednesday.

“After 5 days in hospital battling for his life, the one I call ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed on at 4:00 am this morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos where he had been in Intensive Care since Wednesday,” he wrote.

“It is with deep pain in my heart that I have to be the conveyor of the news of the death of Henry Nwosu MON. May he rest peacefully with our Creator in Heaven.”

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