Karim Benzema wants to play for France again; Franck Ribery happy to return to Bayern training

 France

Speaking publicly for the first time since becoming embroiled in a blackmail scandal, Karim Benzema said Wednesday he wants to play again for France and win the 2016 European Championship with teammate Mathieu Valbuena. The Real Madrid forward is facing charges of conspiracy to blackmail relating to an extortion scam over a sex tape featuring Valbuena. He is suspected of having played an active role in pressuring Valbuena to deal directly with the blackmailers. “Hopefully it will end well, we will all be OK ... and we will all return to the France team to win that Euro,” Benzema said in an interview with TV channel TF1. “I’m not playing for the cameras, I’m not playing a game,” insisted Benzema in excerpts released by TF1. “I’m here to be sincere.”

 Everton

Manager Roberto Martinez said that Gerard Deulofeu could be “as good as he wants” to be after the Spaniard sent his side into the English League Cup semi-finals. Deulofeu scored one and set up the other in Everton’s 2-0 win at second-tier Middlesbrough in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. Martinez said of Deulofeu’s potential: “As good as he wants – that’s a big part. Gerard is a young man in terms of the amount of games that he’s played. But as a natural talent, he’s as good as it gets. He’s got that talent that you dream to have.”

 Chelsea

England international Gary Cahill has signed a new four-year contract with Chelsea, the Premier League champions announced last night. The deal will keep the 29-year-old defender at Stamford Bridge until 2019. “I’m really pleased to commit my future to Chelsea and it’s great the club has put their faith in me,” Cahill told the club website. “I have achieved a lot here and I hope I can keep on learning, helping the team and lifting trophies over the next four years,” the defender added.

 Bayern Munich

French winger Franck Ribery was delighted to take part in team training at Bayern Munich on Wednesday for the first time after nearly nine months out with injury. “It’s a super day for me and very emotional,” said Ribery after 264 days out with the persistent ankle injury he suffered on March 11. The 32-year-old forward hopes to make his comeback on December 12 in a Bundesliga game at Bavarian neighbours Ingolstadt. “It was the first long injury of my career and was a difficult situation for me,” he said after taking part in sprints, passing and shooting exercises. “But that’s football and that’s life, it’s important to always keep your head up and to work hard. It’s a good feeling to be back in the team.”

 World Cup 2018

Russia’s sports minister says preparations for the 2018 World Cup are on track but admitted to delays in the construction of hotels in host cities. “Overall work done in the framework of the federal programme for infrastructure preparation is on schedule,” sports minister Vitaly Mutko told the R-Sport news agency. Mutko added that Russia’s “complicated economic situation”, in part linked to Western sanctions and low oil prices, had not affected its investment budget for World Cup preparations. The sports minister however deplored that economic woes had slowed the construction of hotels in some of the 11 tournament host cities.

Follow us on twitter at @NatSportUAE