The Confederations of African Football (CAF) disciplinary committee has announced sanctions against Algeria, following incidents that occurred after their quarterfinal defeat to Nigeria at the recently concluded 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco.
Algeria were knocked out of the competition after a 2-0 defeat to Nigeria in their last eight encounter, but the manner of the loss sparked ugly scenes on and off the pitch as players and supporters felt cheated by the officials.
The Desert Foxes were denied a penalty kick with the score goalless when center referee Issa Sy waved away appeals after the ball had bounced off the thigh of Nigerian defender Semi Ajayi and struck his hand inside the box. The Super Eagles would go on to score two second half goals through Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams to progress.
After the match, several Algerian players confronted the referee on the pitch which forced security officials to escort the officials away. The incident broke out into a brawl that involved some Nigerian players, while certain Algerian players chased down the referee into the tunnel to protest the decision. The supporters also had their share of chaos as they threw objects on the pitch and also attempted to invade.
After a review of the incidents, CAF disciplinary committee has now handed out proper punishments. Goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of French legend Zinedine Zidane, has been suspended for two CAF matches, while teammate Rafik Belghali received a four-match ban for aggressive behaviour, with two of those matches suspended.
According to popular Nigeria photo journalist Pooja media on X, the following sanctions were imposed on the Algerians.
—Zidane, 2 match ban
—Belghali, 2 match ban
—€5k fine, improper conduct
—€25k fine, bad behaviour
—€5k fine, use of flares
—€5k fine, objects thrown by fans
—€10k fine, breached safety measures
—€50k fine for offensive gestures
Both suspensions will be served during the qualifiers for the 2027 AFCON tournament, meaning both players will be available for selection at the FIFA World Cup later this year. In addition, the Algerian Football Federation were fined a total of $100,000 for the misconduct of players, officials and supporters.
