punishment required against journalist Daniel Riolo for defamation of Didier Deschamps

After a trial lasting almost five hours, attended by Didier Deschamps and Daniel Riolo, the Paris Criminal Court postponed the verdict until January 30, 2026.

Sued for defamation by Didier Deschamps, who he was accused of “hiding the truth about Karim Benzema’s departure” During the 2022 World Cup, Daniel Riolo defended himself before the 17th session of the Paris Criminal Court, Thursday, November 20, in front of the French national team coach. The journalist argued that the event where he delivered his remarks, “After Foot” at RMC, where he regularly leads, was a “opinion event”. But prosecutors asked for a sentence. The decision was reserved until January 30.

Between January 2023, as part of the program “L’After Foot”, a daily talk show broadcast on RMC and whose audience increased to 13.9 million listeners (live and podcast) according to Médiamétrie, the journalist has qualified Didier Deschamps as “liar” regarding the seriousness of Karim Benzema’s injury. Real Madrid’s number 9 player had to leave the group due to a muscle injury on the opening day of the 2022 World Cup, November 19. But he returned to training in mid-December with his club, reigniting discussions about the seriousness of his injury.

“The doctor I contacted told me that Benzema could play, I was doing my job as a journalist (…). Benzema should have been in my place, it seemed more about the two men’s tortured relationship (Deschamps and Benzema),” said Danier Riolo.

Called as a witness, the French team doctor, Frank Le Gall, defended his diagnosis and the security guard, Mohamed Sanhadji, assured that Benzema’s departure had occurred. “in regulations”. Didier Deschamps defended his version. “The doctor came back with Karim. I went with him to his room. And there, I found myself face to face with the player who was disgusted, passed out. (…) Karim then said to me: ‘It’s dead'”, the coach detailed, explaining that he has been the target of increased threats after his departure. The player himself has challenged Didier Deschamps’ version, which he said was his decision to leave the French team drastically.

In other damning remarks, Daniel Riolo criticized the performance of the Blues coach “into all the dark affairs of French football”specifically citing the VA-OM corruption case, referring to the D1 match that gave rise to a corruption case in May 1993 – Deschamps was playing at Marseille at that time -, or even the doping case at Juventus Turin, where he played as a player and then became coach. At the bar, the RMC columnist defended himself by mentioning “general statement”. “I am not accusing Didier Deschamps of being part of the VA-OM corruption case or of doping at Juve,” he argued.

Didier Deschamps, for his part, admitted to having one “good relations with the press”. “I am subjected to harsh or unfair analysis, contradictions, criticism, that is normal. I respect press freedom as long as we do not indulge in comments that attack my values, my honesty”said the trainer who was studying journalism for the first time.

Prosecutors asked for punishment against the journalist, and regretted that an investigation had not been carried out “not really finished” and generate comments “thrown to the listener”. Didier Deschamps demands a symbolic euro as compensation for moral damage.