Steel and faith in Ibrahim Maza, early takeaways from Algeria under Hemdani | OneFootball

Brahim Hemdani began his Algeria tenure with a 3-1 win over Zambia in Tizi Ouzou on Friday in an AFCON 2027 qualifier, before a trip to Burundi on Tuesday at 15:00. He also took a firm line over Rayan Aït-Nouri.

The Algerian federation announced in a Saturday afternoon statement that Aït-Nouri had been sent back to Manchester. The 25-year-old left-back, short of minutes at City, had been overlooked against Zambia in favour of Jaouen Hadjam, who has also barely featured at Brighton.

Aït-Nouri warmed up several times, only for Hemdani to alter his plans in the middle of the second half. The player then expressed frustration first towards assistant Anthar Yahia, then to national team manager Moussa Saïb, a figure held in high regard.

That reaction irritated staff internally, and Hemdani opted for firmness, a stance approved by the federation president.

Alongside that disciplinary call, Hemdani has handed Ibrahim Maza the creative reins in his new-look side.

Source: L'Équipe

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