Cairo, Egypt – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced severe sanctions against the Algerian national team. This comes in the wake of events that occurred during their quarter-final match against Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Algerian national team had lost to their Nigerian counterparts 2-0 in the quarter-final match. The match was marred by misconduct from some players and fans after the final whistle.
CAF has decided to suspend Luca Zidane, the Algerian national team goalkeeper, for two matches, to be served during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Rafik Belghali has also been suspended for four matches, two of which are suspended. This suspension will also be served during the same qualifying campaign.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) also imposed fines on the Algerian Football Federation, including a $5,000 fine for misconduct after five players received yellow cards, $25,000 for inappropriate behavior by some players and officials after the match, $5,000 for the use of fireworks, and $5,000 for projectiles thrown by fans.
The sanctions also included a $10,000 fine for the Algerian Football Federation for failing to respect security measures after some fans attempted to breach barriers, in addition to a $50,000 fine for insulting behavior towards match officials.
In response, the Algerian Football Federation announced that it has begun taking steps to appeal the issued sanctions, confirming that it is officially following up on the matter.
