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Algeria: Disappointment and Anger After the Defeat against Slovenia

Categories: Eastern & Central Europe, Middle East & North Africa, Algeria, Slovenia, Sport
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Fans watching Anxiously via Amekinfo on Flickr under Creative Commons License

After a  24 years long wait, the Algerian national football team finally took part in the World Cup again. Because domestic affairs are overwhelmed with official propaganda in the media (on the radio and television), Algerians  have focused their attentions on the world cup, hoping it would provide an escape from the grind of their daily lives. The disappointment was  all the more profound after the defeat of their team against Slovenia.

Une équipe de foot à l'image du pays: boiteuse et poussive…Félicitations pour la Slovénie, qui s'est assurée une place confortable pour passer au 2ème tour

A football team in its country's image: winded and lame … Congratulations to Slovenia, which ensured itself a comfortable place to the second round

writes Ahcene [2], a young  Human Rights activist in Algeria, on his facebook profile [fr].

Abderahmane, a journalist,  was very disappointed as well, and he posts the following sarcastic comment on his facebook page [3] [fr]: :

Le coaching de Saâdane est merveilleux !! Il laisse Boudebouz, une perle rare, sur le banc et fait jouer un nullard comme Ghezzal, et Saifi qu'est-ce qu'il est rentré foutre sur le terrain ?

The coaching Saadane is wonderful! He leaves Boudebouz, a treasure of a player, on the bench and plays useless players like a Ghezzal and Saifi and what on earth is he doing on the field?

Samir, a student, also [4]sarcastically [4]questions the role of Ghezzal [4], the player who received a red card during the game [fr]:

Abdelkader Ghezzal…tu es sélectionné contre l'Ireland comme joueur de rugby…et contre la Slovénie, t'es devenu un handballeur….et quand tu joueras au football

Abdelkader Ghezzal … you played as a rugby player against Ireland and against Slovenia, you became a handball player… when are you going to play football?

Similar feelings of bitterness for Yahia, a young student in Paris, , who posed a riddle [5] probably related to coach Saadane [fr]:

Un mec avec une roche à la place de la cervelle c'est qui ??? A vous de deviner

Guess who's got a rock instead of a brain ???

Toufik [6] is pessimistic about the chance of the Algerian team [fr]:

Alors que nous n’arrivons pas à gagner contre la Slovénie, comment voulez-vous qu’on batte les Anglais avec un Rooney percutant et les missiles de Steven Gerrard et Lampard

If we cannot win against Slovenia, how can we beat the English team with the power of Rooney and missiles from Steven Gerrard and Lampard!

Blogger RZ chooses to make light of coach Saadane [7] [fr]:

En plus du fait de ne rien apporter à l'équipe dans les moments difficiles du match, en matière de coaching, puisque, comme il l'a affirmé il y a quelques jours, «J'ai un bon banc de touche» Il n'a pas tort… Le «Cheikh» suit le match de son «banc de touche» comme tout spectateur… «Sollicité à donner son impression à la fin de la rencontre face à la Slovénie, le «cheikh» a déclaré ni plus ni moins: «El hamdou li Llah !» Louange à Dieu ! S'il y a un sélectionneur qui puisse louer Dieu, c'est bien celui de la Slovénie, puisqu'il a réussi à damer le pion à Saâdane qui se dissimule derrière ce titre de “Cheikh”.

He fails to bring anything of substance to the team in the difficult moments of the game from a coaching standpoint, after all, as he said a few days ago: “he has got a good bench”. In fact, he is quite right, the “Sheikh” followed the match from his “bench” as if he was just another spectator. … “Asked to give his impressions at the end of the match against Slovenia, the “Sheikh” said nothing more than “El hamdou li Llah!” Praise the Lord! If there is a coach who should praise God, it is Slovenia's coach, since he sucessfully outcoached Saadane who hides behind his title of “Sheikh”.

On a different topic, blogger and journalist, Djamel Benchenouf, is surprised by the enthusiasm [8]that the Algerian team can incite and yet the general population is so reluctant to rally for other social causes [fr]:

Un peuple qui ne se mobilise pas pour les plus faibles d’entre ses citoyens, qui subit l’oppression sans se révolter, qui se laisse dépouiller de ses richesses par des malfaiteurs de la pire espèce, qui se détourne du sort affreux qui est fait à toute la nation, et même de l’avenir de ses propres enfants, mais qu’un match de football fait vibrer, dans un incommensurable enthousiasme, ce peuple là doit craindre le pire

A nation that does not mobilize to protect the weakest amongst its citizens, that surrenders to oppression without protesting, that gives away its riches to th criminals of the worst kind, that turns away from the terrible fate that awaits the nation and even the future of its children, but that can get all riled up with boundless enthusiasm for a football match thrills, this nation should fear the worst.