Aurélien Tchouaméni, a French football player, publicly backed Karim Benzema on Friday, saying that athletes and celebrities in general are not required to speak out about current events in public. The Real Madrid international midfielder stated, “Nowhere is it written that a celebrity must necessarily speak on any topic,” during a television interview that will air in France tonight and parts of which have already been made public.

These remarks follow the controversy that French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin sparked when he first claimed that Karim Benzema was connected to the Muslim Brotherhood and then, without presenting any proof, asked the football player to denounce the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel and an Islamist murder in France on social media.

While the Benzema situation was not specifically brought up during the interview, Tchouaméni did not duck the obvious question: “Before footballers or celebrities we are human beings,” he stated, adding that “different sensitivities, especially in matters that can be difficult.”

Additionally, he emphasized that “some players find it easier to voice their opinions on certain subjects, while others find it harder. We also have to show them respect.” “I think it depends on each person and their ability and willingness to talk about a topic,” he repeated.

The defensive pivot brought to mind the quiet moment that was held at Saint-Denis on Tuesday prior to the friendly between France and Scotland. During that moment, the public address system mentioned the dead who were civilians in Israel and Gaza, along with the professor who was killed in Arras, “without taking a position”. “That’s something everyone agrees upon,” he said.