Former France captain Hugo Lloris has reacted to the accusation that he pushed Karim Benzema out of the France World Cup team.
Lloris, who announced his retirement from France national team on Monday, described the report as false.
Claims came out of the French World Cup camp, suggesting that the Tottenham goalkeeper conspired against Benzema to stop him from playing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Lloris said the team would have been happier if Benzema stayed at the World but for the injury, the Real Madrid man picked up just before the tournament.
“There are a lot of things that have been said, which are either false or ridiculous,” he told L’Equipe.
“But we would all have preferred that the Ballon d’Or winner [stay]. He’s still a major asset!
“To say that we would have pushed for him to leave is completely false, and I do not see how we would benefit from that.
“It is really dishonest to claim that some of us were in favour of his departure. When you approach a World Cup, you want to do it with your best players.”
France was defeated in the final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by Argentina with the Tottenham goalkeeper conceding three goals after extra time.
Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, beat France 4-2 on penalty shootout to claim the World Cup for the third time in the history of the South American nation.
