Former OGC Nice defender Youcef Atal joins Qatari side Al-Sadd | OneFootball

Former OGC Nice full-back Youcef Atal (28) has joined Qatari club Al-Sadd on a free transfer, following the expiry of his contract at Adana Demirspor earlier in the summer.

Atal left Nice in February after being found guilty of provoking racial hatred; the Algeria international was handed an eight-month suspended prison sentence and a €45,000 fine after sharing an anti-semitic post on social media. He only signed a short-term deal with Adana Demirspor, which expired at the end of the campaign, leaving him without a club.

He had been courted by Nice’s Ligue 1 rivals Olympique de Marseille, with L’Équipe reporting that a deal was close. However, that was before the intervention of Marseille mayor Benoît Payan, who publically opposed Atal’s arrival at OM, ultimately causing the move to fall through.

The former Gym defender has now moved to Qatar, where he joins Al-Sadd. The Algerian full-back has signed a two-year deal with the club.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle