Blanc recalls Benzema and Ben Arfa for France

Forwards Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa are among the biggest names in Laurent Blanc’s first France squad, for next week’s friendly in Norway.

The pair were surprise exclusions from former coach Raymond Domenech’s World Cup group, and were therefore exempt when the French football federation responded to a summer campaign of failure and infighting by suspending all 23 players involved.