Arab football stars withdraw from match in Qatar over participation of Israeli coach
Doha (QNN)- Three international football stars withdrew from the “legends” match organized in Doha on the margins of the Arab Cup over the participation of an Israeli citizen as a coach.
The FIFA Arab Legends and FIFA World Legends met on Friday in an exhibition event leading up to the FIFA Arab Cup final.
Rabah Madjer, Rafik Saïfi and Rafik Halliche, all Algerian stars, decided not to play the match because of Avram Grant’s participation as a coach and player for the World Legends team.
The boycott was not mentioned in the match report on the FIFA website.
Grant previously managed Chelsea and was coach of the Israeli national team from 2002 to 2006.
Algeria has no diplomatic ties with the occupation state and has long supported the Palestinian people.
In September, the International Judo Federation banned Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine from competing for 10 years after his withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics to avoid playing against an Israeli opponent.
Algeria’s national team’s players and fans have celebrated after every win flying Palestinian and Algerian flags. Algeria and Tunisia will compete in the Arab Cup’s final in an eagerly awaited meeting today.
