Millions at stake! Renowned sports brand drops Karim Benzema at the last minute

The past caught up with the star French striker at the most unexpected moment.

Details: On Wednesday evening, American company Nike urgently cancelled a planned advertising shoot featuring former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. The management of the world-famous sportswear manufacturer decided to end the collaboration, deeming the footballer’s reputation fundamentally incompatible with the brand’s values.

According to respected outlet The Athletic, the promotional shoot for a collaboration between Nike and the Corteiz brand was scheduled to take place in London on Thursday. The parties had already agreed on the key terms of the deal, including the provision of €75,000 worth of equipment and coverage of travel expenses. However, just before the player’s departure, representatives of the American giant conducted a more thorough review of his background and decided to pull the plug on the project. Sources familiar with the details of the agreement confirmed the cancellation but declined to specify which aspects of the Frenchman’s past had influenced the decision.

In an official statement to The Athletic, Nike said:

“This project does not reflect the broader relationship between the athlete and Nike. We regret that the negotiations progressed this far.”

The reason for the dramatic move was the Ballon d’Or winner’s long-standing legal troubles. In 2021, a court in Versailles found Karim Benzema guilty of complicity in an attempted blackmail plot targeting former France teammate Mathieu Valbuena involving an intimate video. The footballer received a one-year suspended prison sentence and a €75,000 fine, while the scandal led to the striker being left out of the national team for more than five years.

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