Manchester City and French midfielder Samir Nasri stated that he does not understand why Karim Benzema has been left out of the French team that is taking part at the Euro 2016. He believes that Benzema would have been an incredible addition to the team, especially with the good season that he has had with Real Madrid. He said that it was a surprise for him not to see Karim Benzema in the team.
Officially, Benzema is suspended from the French national team because of an alleged blackmail affair with his teammate Mathieu Valbuena. On the other hand, French and Manchester United legend Eric Cantona stated that Karim Benzema has been omitted from the team because of racial reason. Either way, Samir Nasri believes that France will miss a player of his quality at the Euros.
Samir Nasri will also be absent from the France national team since announcing his retirement from international football in 2014. Indeed, it was a clash with the current manager Didier Deschamps that has prompted Nasri to retire from football, but he feels that the team has enough quality to go far in the tournament.
He said that now with 24 teams in the competition it is easy to get out of the group stage and believes that France has the potential to win the tournament. For Nasri, it is important that France goes far in the tournament if they want to maintain their image of a great footballing nation. Nasri believes that if each player gives their best on the pitch, there is a big chance that France will win the trophy.
Indeed with players such as Dimitri Payet, Olivier Giroud, and Paul Pogba in great form, France has a significant chance of winning another tournament that they have hosted after the 1998 World Cup.