HIBAPRESS – Sports
The match between Algeria and Nigeria in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations witnessed controversial events. The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) announced the sanctions imposed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on the Algerian national team and its players following this match.
The sanctions included a two-match suspension for the Algerian national team goalkeeper, Luca Zidane, while the player Rafik Belghali was suspended for four matches, including two suspended matches. These sanctions will apply during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The decisions also included financial penalties on the FAF due to inappropriate behavior by players and fans. The federation was fined: $5,000 after five players received yellow cards during the match, $25,000 as a result of inappropriate behavior by some players and officials after the end of the match, $5,000 for the use of fireworks inside the stands by the national team supporters, $5,000 for throwing projectiles, and $10,000 for failure to respect security measures after some fans attempted to cross the barriers, in addition to $50,000 due to insulting and offensive behavior from some fans towards the match referees, which consisted of raising banknotes.
