The French Team Doctor Speaks Freely About PSG’s Challenges and Changes

Franck Le Gall, team doctor for France since 2012, recently appeared before the 17th chamber of the Paris court regarding the Deschamps-Riolo trial. He was called in connection with the injury diagnosis of Karim Benzema just before the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This diagnosis was made after an MRI conducted at the Aspetar clinic in Doha, which is led by Hakim Chalabi, who also supervises the medical team at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Le Gall’s appearance was prompted by statements from Daniel Riolo, a commentator on RMC, who claimed that Deschamps had lied and that Benzema could have played in the 2022 World Cup. Riolo suggested that after a discussion with Dr. Chalabi, he learned that Benzema’s injury was less severe than what Le Gall had reported, infuriating the French team doctor.

“I have the right not to trust Aspetar and Chalabi; it feels like they invented medicine. Fifty years ago, Qatar was just a stone. Chalabi is no longer a reference. Aspetar isn’t the Almighty, and PSG is using us in unnecessary medical controversies,” he stated, addressing PSG amidst recent controversies regarding injuries to Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué. “I have no images or MRI results; they stay with us while PSG declares them injured. He had a left injury, but now he’s hurt on the right, just bad luck. PSG played Désiré Doué three times consecutively after his injury, and he ended up tearing himself again, yet we haven’t heard from PSG’s medical team. The same goes for Ousmane Dembélé. There are double standards here,” he shared in comments reported by Le Parisien.