ALGERIA – CAMEROON FOOTBALL. While Algeria’s appeal is still under study, a media battle is being played out between Samuel Eto’o and Djamel Belmadi.
While the appeal filed by the Algerian Federation is still under study by Fifa since April 21 (a response is expected within 15 days), tongues have been loosening for a few days. In an interview with the Algerian Federation on April 24, Djamel Belmadi ranted at the referee. “Never again in life will we let two or three people conspire against our country. We will never again see a referee like that harm a country. I have to say that I did not like the day after the departure of this referee, at Algiers airport, to see him comfortably seated in the lounges drinking a coffee with a millefeuille.” During this interview, Djamel Belmadi also confided that he had spoken several times since then with the referee in question: “I emptied my bag at this referee, I crossed him a Turkey afterwards and I told him the same thing again. I told him who he was. I did not like that we can accept this kind of thing.
Following the remarks, the president of the Cameroonian Federation Samuel Eto’o took the floor and threatened the coach with legal action. The Cameroonian Football Federation expresses its deep concern following the remarks made on April 24, 2022 by Mr. Djamel Belmadi, the coach-selector of the Fennecs of Algeria, following the match counting for the play-offs Africa Zone of the Cup World Cup Qatar 2022, dropped the Cameroonian body via a communicated signed by President Samuel Eto’o. […] Cameroon reserves the right to bring the matter before the FIFA Ethics Commission in the coming days. Fécafoot disputes these defamatory allegations instilled in an allusive manner and repeatedly formulated by Algerian football leaders, continued the body chaired by Samuel Eto’o in its document published Monday evening. She regrets that the persistence of this long-term controversy is likely to provoke incidents similar to the verbal aggression suffered by Cameroonian officials on April 1 in Doha on the sidelines of the draw for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The summary of Algeria – Cameroon
The reigning African champions will not be in Qatar to compete in the next World Cup. And yet, this ticket for the next World Cup seemed to be acquired when Ahmed Touba finally cheated on an almost impassable André Onana on Tuesday, March 29. The Ajax Amsterdam goalkeeper has long disgusted the Algerian players who have looked for the fault and who have finally found it in an extension with an incredible outcome. But before, there had been cruel regulation time for the Fennecs. Cruel because the men of Djamel Belmadi have returned to this Algeria – Cameroon. Confident after their success in the first leg in Cameroon (1-0), Riyad Mahrez and his teammates directly put forward their intentions, those of attacking. But they were not rewarded. After a few harmless attempts on Onana’s cages, it’s the opposing goalkeeper Raïs Mbolhi who will stand out in the worst possible way. Indeed, the Algeria goalkeeper accidentally hit his teammate Aissa Mandi following a corner and released the ball, giving former Parisian Choupo-Moting the opportunity to come and put his selection back up to the Fennecs on the all of the two confrontations (22nd). Then follows an Algerian domination over almost the entire game. Onana then goes into wall mode and lets nothing pass. Mbolhi also imitates him in the 69th minute with an exceptional double parry. But little by little, the Algerian goalkeeper leaves the star to that of Cameroon. André Onana disgusts Mahrez, Bennacer or even Slimani with successive parades. And even when he was beaten by that header from Slimani in the 98th minute, the VAR intervened and canceled the goal for a handball from the former Monegasque. The Algerian goal will only come in the second period of extra time (118th) through Ahmed Touba who capsized the boiling Mustapha-Tchaker stadium in Blida but for only a few minutes. Indeed, Algeria thought they could hold their ticket thanks to this goal but it was without counting on the Lyonnais Karl Toko-Ekambi who, following a subtle deviation from Ngadeu, comes to punish the Fennecs for a lack of lucidity marking in the last seconds of the meeting (120th + 4). The Blida stadium had never seen a defeat for Algeria. This Tuesday, March 29, the supporters present in the enclosure therefore experienced the first and certainly the worst of the selection of Djamel Belmadi who will be deprived of the World Cup 2022 for the benefit of the Cameroonians of Rigobert Song.