AFCON 2025: CAF Sanctions Algeria After Clash With Nigeria, Suspends Players
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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has imposed multiple sanctions on Algeria following misconduct during and after their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 quarter-final clash against Nigeria.
In a statement released on Wednesday, CAF confirmed that its Disciplinary Board met to review incidents that occurred during the match played on January 10, 2026. After deliberations, the board announced disciplinary actions against Algerian players and the Algerian Football Federation (FAF).
CAF suspended Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane for two official CAF matches with the national team for misconduct. Defender Rafik Belghali was handed a four-match suspension for aggressive and intimidating behaviour towards the match referee at the end of the game. However, two of Belghali’s matches were suspended for a probationary period of one year.
In addition to player sanctions, the Algerian Football Federation was fined a total of $100,000 for various offences committed by players, officials, and supporters. The fines include:
$5,000 for receiving five yellow cards during the match
$25,000 for inappropriate conduct by players and officials after the match
$5,000 for the use of smoke devices by supporters
$5,000 for throwing objects onto the pitch
$10,000 for failure to comply with security measures after supporters attempted to breach security barriers
$50,000 for offensive and abusive gestures by supporters toward match officials, including displaying banknotes
CAF confirmed that no sanctions were imposed on the Nigerian team in connection with the incident.
The clash occurred immediately after the final whistle, following Nigeria’s victory that secured the Super Eagles a place in the semi-finals. Algerian players and supporters disputed key refereeing decisions, particularly an alleged missed penalty in their favour.
Videos circulated on social media showed Algerian players confronting match officials, with reports of physical altercations, crowd unrest, and security lapses within the stadium.
In response to the ruling, the Algerian Football Federation announced its intention to appeal the sanctions, describing them as disproportionate and calling for a review of the match officiating.
