Algeria excludes Rayan Ait Nouri from the national team camp after an argument with the coach

On Saturday, the Algerian Football Federation officially announced the exclusion of defender Rayan Ait Nouri from the national team camp, returning to his club, Manchester City, after the incident that took place in the match with Zambia.

A strong crisis broke out between the new coach, Ibrahim Hamdani, in his first match, and Rayan Ait Nouri, when the coach called on his player to warm up in preparation for entering, but in the end he backed down from pushing him after the Zambian national team scored the equalizer, in the opening round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

When the Algerian team scored the second goal, Antar Yahya, the assistant coach, asked the Manchester City defender to warm up, but the player became angry and entered into a verbal altercation with Ibrahim Hamdani, who decided the next day to exclude the player from the camp before facing Burundi next Tuesday.

Opinions differed in Algerian sports and media circles regarding the decision to expel Rayan Ait Nouri, and Hafid Darraji, a commentator on the beIN Sports channels, believes that what Hamdani did was the right thing, and that there are controls that should not be crossed to maintain stability.

Draghi explained through his account on the social media platforms that Rayyan Ait Nouri’s behavior on the bench during the confrontation with Zambia is not befitting of him, and is not befitting of the Algerian national team’s shirt, according to what he said.

He added: "Wisdom requires that we deal with such behavior in a way that befits the player and the prestige of the team, away from tension and exaggeration of matters. It is true that Ait Nouri is going through difficult circumstances with his team, Manchester City, but the new Algerian technical staff needs calm, focus, and building harmony within the group, not headaches or side crises."

Draghi stressed that "the decision to dispense with the player was logical and necessary, even if it was temporary, to avoid further tension."