Nike 'regrets' Karim Benzema talks after cancelling shoot at last minute over striker's past
Nike pulled out of a scheduled commercial shoot with Karim Benzema, with the company reportedly expressing regret that discussions had progressed that far. The decision is linked to Benzema's past, widely understood to reference his 2016 conviction for complicity in an attempt to blackmail former France teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape. The last-minute cancellation represents a significant commercial blow for the 37-year-old striker, who currently plays for Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League and has historically been one of the most marketable footballers in the world through partnerships with Adidas and later his own KB9 brand.
Read the full story at nytimes.comNike's last-minute cancellation of a Benzema photoshoot is a rare public walk-back from a global sponsor and underscores how unresolved reputational baggage continues to follow the former Real Madrid striker, even years after his playing exile from the French national team. For a player whose commercial value has long been built on elite on-pitch credentials — Ballon d'Or winner in 2022, five Champions League titles — losing access to a tier-one global brand narrows his off-pitch earning power at a stage of his career when those deals matter most. The episode also illustrates the cautiousness of multinational sponsors when aligning with athletes whose past controversies remain a brand-risk calculation.
Context added by Socc360, not by nytimes.com.
Data source: nytimes.com (via Socc360). Last updated .
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