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Algerian players Luca Zidane and Rafik Belghali have been suspended for two and four matches, respectively, for their roles in post-match disturbances following Algeria’s quarter-final loss to Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed the sanctions on Wednesday, following a meeting of its Disciplinary Board to consider incidents arising from the match between Algeria and Nigeria, played on January 10, 2026, at the AFCON in Morocco.
In a statement, CAF said it decided to “suspend Algeria player Luca Zidane for two (2) CAF official matches with the Algeria national team for misconduct.”
The body also ruled to “suspend Algeria player Rafik Belghali for four (4) CAF official matches with the Algeria national team for aggressive and intimidating behaviour towards the match referee at the end of the match.”
“However, two (2) matches are suspended for a probationary period of one (1) year, starting from the date of the present decision,” CAF added.
The Disciplinary Board also imposed several fines on the Algerian Football Federation for violations of the CAF Disciplinary Code.
CAF said it would “impose a fine of USD 5,000 on the Algerian Football Federation for the conduct of the senior (‘A’) national team, having received five (5) cautions (yellow cards) during the match, in violation of Article 130(a) of the CAF Disciplinary Code.”
It further ruled to “impose a fine of USD 25,000 on the Algerian Football Federation due to the inappropriate behaviour of its players and officials at the end of the match, which brought the match into disrepute, in violation of Articles 82 and 83 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.”
Additional sanctions included decisions to “impose a fine of USD 5,000 on the Algerian Football Federation for the use of smoke devices by its supporters” and to “impose a fine of USD 5,000 on the Algerian Football Federation for the throwing of objects by its supporters.”
CAF also said it would “impose a fine of USD 10,000 on the Algerian Football Federation for failure to comply with security measures, due to the behaviour of its supporters who attempted to force the security barriers.”
The largest penalty was a decision to “impose a fine of USD 50,000 on the Algerian Football Federation for offensive and abusive gestures (displaying banknotes) committed by its supporters towards the match officials.”
