The French star Karim Benzema has ignited a new crisis within the Saudi club Al-Ittihad Jeddah, following the previous conflict between the player and the Portuguese coach Nuno Santo, which led to the departure of the Portuguese coach from coaching the team.
A picture of Karim Benzema in a Jeddah Union shirt - Source: Russia Today website
Benzema has sparked a huge controversy among the fans of Al-Ittihad Jeddah Club regarding the whereabouts of the player, as he has been absent from the team’s recent training sessions after the defeat against Al-Nassr Club in the Saudi Roche League with a score of 5-2.
Benzema has faced a lot of criticism from the fans after that defeat and a significant decline in his performance.
It was scheduled for Al-Ittihad Jeddah Club to face Al-Taawoun Club in the 19th round of the Saudi Roche League matches last Saturday, December 30, 2023, but the match was postponed by the Saudi Roche League due to weather conditions.
🚨 نظراً للأحوال الجوية، العميد يعود إلى جدة، وسيتم التنسيق مع رابطة دوري المحترفين لتحديد موعد اخر للقاء.#الاتحاد_الطائي
— نادي الاتحاد السعودي (@ittihad) December 29, 2023
Karim Benzema becomes the protagonist of a new crisis in Al-Ittihad Jeddah Club
The famous Saudi newspaper “Al-Sharq Al-Awsat” revealed a strong surprise about the French star Karim Benzema, after the player’s absence from all the training sessions of Al-Ittihad Jeddah team after the recent match against Al-Nassr in the Saudi league.
Some news reports in Saudi Arabia confirmed the player’s absence from some training sessions before it became clear that he was absent from all the training sessions.
There are some sources that confirmed that the coach of Al-Ittihad Jeddah Club had earlier decided to exclude Benzema from the team’s squad for the match against Al-Taawoun, in order to impose discipline within the team, Benzema became aware of this matter, which made the player absent from the team’s training sessions and leave the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
However, some French news agencies confirmed that Benzema had been given a rest by the coach for 3 days due to some personal circumstances for the player, but this was not a convincing justification for the fans of Al-Ittihad Club.
The famous Spanish newspaper “Marca” mocked the French star Karim Benzema by publishing a tweet on its official page on the social media platform “X”, accompanied by a picture of Benzema with the caption “Wanted,” indicating the question about the player’s whereabouts.
😢 ¿Dónde está Karim Benzema?
El francés no se presentó a los entrenamientos con el @Ittihad después de la derrota ante el @AlNassrFC y tras eliminar todos sus perfiles en redes sociales. pic.twitter.com/G5R6OsnGpg
— MARCA (@marca) December 31, 2023
A French website emphasized that Benzema does not feel comfortable within Al-Ittihad Jeddah Club so far, which makes all possible scenarios open regarding the player’s continuation within the team or his departure in the near future.
Benzema has only played in 20 matches in all competitions with Al-Ittihad, scoring only 12 goals and providing 5 assists.
The player is facing a lot of criticism recently due to a decline in his performance and the continued negative results of the team in all competitions.
