'France is over for him' - FFF president backs Benzema omission

Karim Benzema has no hope of forcing his way back into the France national team, according to Noel Le Graet, the president of the French Football Federation.

Les Bleus coach Didier Deschamps omitted Benzema from his squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, instead selecting Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Nabil Fekir as his striking options.

Le Graet appeared to back the decision in an interview, surmising that France have a certain "style of play and we cannot go back".

Benzema, who scored just 12 goals for Real Madrid in all competitions this season, subsequently hit out at the supremo, insisting via Twitter that has seen his "true face".

The FFF president has now insisted that he did not mean to offend the 30-year-old, despite again insisting that he will never play for France again.

"I'm not sure who wrote that, to be perfectly honest," he said, per RMC Sport.

"The comments I made about him had nothing nasty about him. On the contrary. I remain the only person who has declared consistently that he's a great player, but the France team for him is over.

"I've never said otherwise."

France will face Australia, Denmark and Peru in Group C in Russia, and are rated as one of the favourites to win the competition.