Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has denied accusations that he was involved in the alleged attempted kidnapping of his former agent, Leo D’Souza.
French outlet Mediapart reported that D’Souza had filed a lawsuit on October 8 claiming he was the victim of an attempted abduction in Paris after PSG’s 5-0 thrashing of Lyon.
D’Souza described a black van pulling up to him before a man, who he alleges is a close friend of Benzema, told him to get in the vehicle. D'Souza then claimed that he thought he saw the "the silhouette of Karim Benzema” in the back of the van.
When D’Souza declined to get in, he claims he was punched before bystanders at a nearby bar intervened. The alleged catalyst of the incident has been reported as a dispute between Benzema and D’Souza over a £44,000 fee, which was set to be paid to the player after a sponsored trip to Morroco last summer.
Benzema has now taken to Twitter to firmly dismiss the allegations against him:
"A relative of Benzema touches De Souza's arm, it is an abduction," Benzema said on Twitter.
"De Souza is beaten up, but he has no days signed off work. De Souza says that Benzema was in the van, an idea dismissed by the investigators.
"Is this world serious? #Ithastostop #Givemeabreak #toomuch"
It's not the first time Benzema has been embroiled in controversy. In 2015, Benzema was investigated by police after he was accused of being involved in a blackmail plot against French teammate Mathieu Valbuena which led to the Real Madrid striker being provisionally banned from the national side. There will be a ruling next month to decide whether the case against Benzema is dropped.
