CORNERFLICK
Algeria’s football federation has come under fresh fire after chairman Walid Sadi was reported to have said the national team met, and even exceeded, its World Cup targets.
According to the Algerian newspaper El Khabar, Sadi told members of the executive committee that reaching the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup meant the campaign had been a success. He also said the target for the Africa Cup of Nations was a quarter-final place, which Algeria achieved.
The comments have landed badly in a football climate already strained by the team’s exit. Algeria lost 2-0 to Switzerland in the round of 16 after a mixed group stage, and head coach Vladimir Petković has faced heavy criticism for his tactics and squad management.
Petković’s position was already under scrutiny after he urged supporters to be satisfied with qualification and a place in the knockout round, following a 12-year absence from the tournament. Reports in Algeria say the federation had tried to end his contract by mutual consent, but he is under contract until 2028.
The federation has also faced criticism for publishing a smiling video of Sadi with other officials, a move many saw as an attempt to calm the backlash rather than address it.