Benzema Returns to Al-Ittihad After a 17-day Hiatus

French Striker Karim Benzema returned to his Saudi Pro League after a 17-day break and the officials of the club are “furious” over his absence.

The former Real Madrid striker was expected to report to the club during the midseason break in January, however, there was no communication between him and the club officials in this matter.

Many speculations have linked the Ballon d’Or winner with the European Clubs, however, the Saudi club has no intention to terminate the contract of the French striker.

According to sources, Benzema had been on vacation for 17 days in Mauritius and had deactivated his Instagram account during his hiatus.

Sources from the club disclosed, “Benzema arrived Thursday evening, 17 days late. He should have returned on January 2. We couldn’t reach him for 10 days. The club management and the coach are furious with what happened. There will be a meeting with the club board to explain what happened and discuss his future.”

The Saudi Pro League club is currently paying the French striker, around 100 million euros per year, which is a huge sum compared to what he was earning in Real Madrid previously.

The club has maintained that Benzema has no option to leave the club and that they will resolve their issues internally despite rumors linking the French star to Premier League Chelsea on a permanent move.

During the Summer Benzema was one of the household names who joined the Saudi Pro League alongside Sadio Mane, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar Jr. The Saudi league is owned by Public Investment Fund and it is a state-owned league.

Recently, Benzema was booed in the stadium by the supporters after Al Ittihad suffered three defeats in a row and dropped to 7^th place in the league table.

With former Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson’s departure from Al Ettifaq, it is quite likely that Benzema may leave Al Ittihad in the summer window. The league will resume on February 7 with 19 league matches already completed.