By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Disciplinary Board has handed down multiple sanctions against Algeria’s national team players and the Algerian Football Federation following incidents arising from their Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 match against Nigeria on January 10.

In a decision published on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, CAF said the disciplinary proceedings were convened to review misconduct and security breaches recorded during and after the encounter.

According to CAF, Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane was suspended for two official CAF matches for misconduct, while defender Rafik Belghali received a four-match suspension for aggressive and intimidating behaviour towards the match referee at the end of the game. However, two of Belghali’s suspended matches were placed on probation for a one-year period, effective from the date of the ruling.

The Algerian Football Federation was also fined a total of USD 100,000 for multiple infractions linked to both player conduct and supporter behaviour.

CAF imposed a USD 5,000 fine for the team receiving five yellow cards during the match, in violation of Article 130(a) of the CAF Disciplinary Code. An additional USD 25,000 fine was issued for inappropriate conduct by Algeria’s players and officials after the match, which CAF said brought the fixture into disrepute, citing violations of Articles 82 and 83.

Supporter-related sanctions included separate fines of USD 5,000 each for the use of smoke devices and the throwing of objects, as well as USD 10,000 for failure to comply with security measures after fans attempted to breach security barriers.

CAF also fined the Algerian Football Federation USD 50,000 for what it described as offensive and abusive gestures by supporters, including the display of banknotes directed at match officials.

The decisions form part of CAF’s ongoing efforts to enforce discipline, uphold match integrity, and maintain safety standards at its competitions during the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

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