Karim Benzema allegedly engaged in a heated confrontation with Al Ittihad manager Marcelo Gallardo after declining an order.
Benzema appeared poised to depart the Saudi Pro League team during the January transfer window and was strongly linked with clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea.
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Despite the Saudi sides being on a winter break, Benzema stirred controversy by taking an unauthorized holiday and returning later than expected.
According to a recent report from MARCA, Benzema and Gallardo remain in conflict.
During Monday’s training session, Benzema was instructed to train alone after initially joining his teammates for the first part of the session.
Despite being the captain of Al Ittihad, Benzema declined to comply, expressing frustration, and ultimately walked out of the session.
In Benzema’s perspective, he believed he had already conducted individual training sessions during his absence from the mid-season training camp in the United Arab Emirates.
Gallardo, who took over from Nuno Espirito Santo as manager, is maintaining a firm stance and refraining from granting any special privileges following Benzema’s incident and refusal to apologize.
The iconic figure from Real Madrid penned a three-year contract with Al Ittihad, who aimed to defend their Saudi Pro League title after a bustling transfer window that saw signings like N’Golo Kante and Fabinho.
However, they found themselves struggling in seventh place with 28 points – a staggering 28 points adrift from league leaders Al Hilal after 18 matches.
Benzema has netted 12 goals in 20 appearances across all competitions but has faced criticism for his performances.
The former Lyon striker decided to delete his Instagram account after enduring abusive comments, indicating his dissatisfaction with his time in Jeddah.
According to MARCA, Benzema’s relationship with Gallardo is described as “broken,” and it remains to be seen if he will regain his prominence in the team.
Al Ittihad will resume league action against Al Tai on Wednesday evening.
