Algerian Attal could miss Côte d'Ivoire Africa Cup of Nations due to a French court ruling | AFCON 2023
Nice's French player and Algeria international Youssef Attal faces the possibility of missing the Desert Warriors squad for the African Nations final scheduled to be held in Côte d'Ivoire after a French court posted on social media that Yes: He supports Gaza.
The prosecutor in Nice (southern France) asked that Attal be sentenced to 10 months' probation and fined 45,000 euros. Attal's trial was held at the Nice Criminal Court on September 18 last year.
The ruling is scheduled to be announced on January 3.
🚨 Algerian footballer Youcef Atal went on trial in France on Monday for sharing pro-Palestinian posts.
Prosecutors are seeking 10 months of probation. pic.twitter.com/394ioUIA2G
— • (@Alhamdhullillaah) December 19, 2023
Attar will be banned from leaving France until the final ruling is issued and will therefore miss the Algerian national team's preparations for the first stage of the continental championship final.
Attal also risks missing the African Nations Championship if a French court approves his jail sentence without suspending its execution.
The African Nations finals will be held from January 13 to February 11, 2024.
Ten minutes after being released from prison, he received a recommendation from Youcef Atal of Nice OGC for sharing an anti-Semitic video on Instagram
Youssef Avalera was the originator of anti-Semitism.#yusufattar In jail! pic.twitter.com/MN6TVTBr1E
– SAMRAH Atika©️💙🤍❤️ (@atika_samrah) December 18, 2023
Nice announced the suspension of Attal last month, and the French Ligue 1 disciplinary committee banned him for seven games.
The decision was taken because of Attar's support for the Palestinian cause and his protests against the Israeli occupation's attacks on civilians in Gaza in videos posted on his Instagram account.
What happened today in the trial of Youssef Attar was the filing of a petition by the Public Prosecution Service, represented by the prosecutor, for which the Nice court will later rule, which will be preliminary and can be challenged on appeal .
For your information, the prosecutor’s petition included an original sentence of 10 months in prison, probation, and a $45,000 fine… pic.twitter.com/vKURvtgOe5— hafid derradji Hafeez Darraji (@derradjihafid) December 18, 2023
Before the ruling, Attal was banned from leaving French territory, except for travel, for reasons related to his activities as a professional footballer.
The French website “Nice-Matin” reported that Attal will not put on the Nice team uniform again even after serving his sentence, and he is expected to be sold during the winter transfer period.
