Algeria Reportedly Cancels Soccer Match Over Israeli Coach

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Don’t hate the player, hate the Jewish coach, might be Algeria’s sports motto.
Algeria’s soccer team is reportedly pulling out of a friendly match with Ghana because they have an Israeli head coach, reporting from Ghanaian media.
According to the report, the Algerian team canceled the match scheduled for September to ensure that Avram Grant did not step foot in their country, which could potentially infuriate the Algerian people who embrace a pro-Palestinian agenda.
Algerian journalist Ayman Gada posted to Facebook that “the Algerian national team canceled the friendly match because it refused to host Ghana’s Israeli coach,” the Times of Israel said.
Grant, a veteran coach of the English soccer team Chelsea, has been coaching the West African nation’s team for the past two years.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
