Nike cancel Karim Benzema photoshoot in London | OneFootball

Nike have cancelled a London photoshoot for an advertising campaign featuring Karim Benzema.

According to The Athletic, the company examined the striker’s history and decided it did not align with its values. Nike said the project did not represent a broader relationship with the player and expressed regret that talks had progressed that far.

Benzema, 38, was previously convicted of complicity in an attempted blackmail linked to a sex tape case. The affair overshadowed his France career and kept him out of the national team for five years while the case continued.

In 2021, the Versailles court handed him a one-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros, finding him guilty of complicity in an attempt to blackmail Mathieu Valbuena in 2015.

He started his career in Nike boots at Lyon before switching to Adidas in 2007. He remained with the German brand, which released a signature boot when he won the Ballon d'Or in 2022.

His Adidas contract has ended and he is exploring his options. Without a club since the summer window after terminating his Al-Hilal deal in Saudi Arabia, Benzema has not announced any intention to retire, and his playing future remains unclear.

Source: Goal.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”