The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has fined the Algerian Football Federation $100,000 following misconduct by its players, officials and supporters after a match against Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.
CAF announced the sanctions on Wednesday after reviewing incidents that followed Algeria’s 2–0 defeat by Nigeria in the quarter-finals of the 2025 tournament in Morocco.
The match was played on 10 December at the Grand Stade de Marrakech, where goals from Nigeria secured the Super Eagles a place in the semi-finals.
According to CAF, tensions escalated after the final whistle when Algerian players and officials confronted the match referees, accusing them of contributing to the team’s loss. The referee, Issa Sy of Senegal, and his assistants were surrounded on the pitch and had to be escorted away by officials for their safety.
Video footage later showed the confrontation spreading to the technical area, with some Algerian players seen pushing and attempting to reach the match officials.
In its ruling, CAF said the behaviour brought the competition into disrepute. The disciplinary committee imposed a $25,000 fine on Algeria for the actions of its players and officials immediately after the match.
An additional $15,000 fine was issued for multiple offences during the game, including the team receiving five yellow cards, the use of smoke bombs by supporters and the throwing of objects onto the pitch.
CAF also fined the Algerian Football Federation a further $60,000 for what it described as offensive and abusive gestures by supporters, including the display of banknotes towards the referees, as well as failures in crowd control and security.
Two Algerian players, Rafik Belghali and goalkeeper Luca Zidane, were suspended for four and two matches respectively for their involvement in the post-match incident.
The Algerian Football Federation has since confirmed that it has lodged an appeal against the fines and suspensions, seeking a review of CAF’s decision.
