The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has suspended Algerian goalkeeper and son of French football legend, Luca Zidane, and his teammate Rafik Belghali, following their roles in the fracas that broke out after their 2-0 loss to Nigeria in the quarter-final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
Goals from Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams sealed the win for the Eagles in the clash at Marrakech. However, the Algerians threw the spirit of sportsmanship overboard and initiated confrontations with Eagles players and match officials.
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Some players and officials harassed the match officials off the pitch, with confrontations spilling to the tunnel. Luca was particularly seen squaring up to Raphael Onyedika, while other Nigerian players made attempts to break up the fiasco on the pitch.
CAF has now suspended Zidane for two matches, which will take effect in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, while Belghali got a four-match suspension, with two matches suspended.
The continental football body also imposed heavy financial sanctions on Algeria, amounting to $100,000 for other various infractions.
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“$5,000: Improper conduct by the team (yellow/red cards); $25,000: Inappropriate behavior by players and officials; $5,000: Use of flares
$5,000: Throwing objects $10,000: Failure to respect security measures; $50,000: Offensive gestures towards referees.”
However, the Algerian Football Federation has appealed the sanctions.
