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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has imposed a series of harsh penalties on the Algerian national team following what has been described as “unsportsmanlike” events surrounding their quarter-final match against Nigeria in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, held on January 10, 2026.
The Algerian Football Federation announced today, Wednesday, that it has received the decisions from CAF’s disciplinary committee, which affected players, officials, as well as fans, due to behaviors deemed detrimental to the image of the continental competition.
The committee has suspended goalkeeper Luca Zidane for two matches, to be served during the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Defender Rafik Belkhilili has been suspended for four matches, with two of those penalties deferred to be applied during the next qualifiers.
On the financial front, CAF fined the Algerian federation $5,000 due to inappropriate conduct on the field, following five players receiving yellow cards during the same match, which is a clear violation of Article 130 (a) of the disciplinary code.
An additional fine of $25,000 was imposed due to unacceptable behavior by some players and officials after the match, which the disciplinary committee considered a direct insult to the match’s integrity and a violation of Articles 82 and 83 of CAF’s disciplinary code.
Algerian fans have not escaped punishment either, with a fine of $5,000 for the use of flares, another $5,000 for throwing objects, and $10,000 for failing to respect security arrangements, after attempts were recorded to breach security barriers within the stadium.
In the most severe decision, the disciplinary committee imposed a heavy fine of $50,000 due to certain supporters of the Algerian team engaging in what were regarded as humiliating and offensive gestures towards the match referees, represented by waving banknotes in the stands.
These penalties underline CAF’s strict stance on any actions that could undermine the spirit of competition, discipline, and the image of African football on both continental and international levels.
