Algeria Football– During the sixth day of the Algerian championship, the meeting between JS Kabylie (JSK) and USM Khenchela (USMK) at the new Tizi Ouzou stadium sparked several controversies. After the match, some media reported that USMK players had trashed the locker rooms at the Tizi Ouzou stadium. To disentangle fact from fiction, La Gazette du Fennec interviewed Sofiane Khedairia, goalkeeper of USM Khenchela, who denies these accusations and takes the opportunity to address various subjects around Algerian football.
At 35, Sofiane Khedairia is a familiar face in Algerian football. Trained in Toulouse, he made his professional debut at Le Mans before continuing his career in Algeria, where he played for several clubs, including JSM Béjaïa, ES Sétif, USM Bel Abbès, and now USM Khenchela. His current contract runs until 2025, but the time to reflect on the rest of his career is approaching, he confides.
On the international scene, Khedairia represented Algeria in several junior categories (U17, U20, U23) before obtaining a selection with the A' team in 2013, under the direction of Tawfik Korichi, during a match against Mauritania. Although he never had the opportunity to play with the A selection, he remains proud of his accomplishments, even if he admits a slight regret at not having had more opportunities with the Greens, especially after the coronation of the African Champions League with ES Sétif.
Asked about the current situation of the Algerian national team under the leadership of Vladimir Petkovic, Khedairia is optimistic. He welcomes the integration of new players, thus bringing new blood to the team. For him, this dynamic was necessary, even if in Algeria, patience is often required. According to Khedairia, the objectives for Petkovic are clear: a good performance at the next CAN and qualification for the World Cup, especially as the number of places for Africa has increased.
Regarding the recent defeat against Guinea, he puts things into perspective by emphasizing that the players showed good things despite the setback. He believes that they will have to quickly catch up in away matches to compensate for this misstep, while recognizing that other African teams are progressing more and more, making the competition ever more difficult.
An unfortunate incident with a mortar: “Nothing serious”
The match against JS Kabylie (JSK) did not go smoothly for Khedairia. He recounts how a mortar exploded near him, lightly hitting him in the eyelid. Fortunately, the incident did not cause serious injuries, although he was very surprised, even shocked. “I've been playing in Algeria for 13 years, and I've never experienced this kind of thing, especially in such a well-supervised stadium,” he confides.
Khedairia deeply regrets this act, which he finds a shame for a club as respectable as JS Kabylie (JSK), which he traditionally associates with fair play. For him, the individual who threw the mortar probably did not intend to injure him, but he hopes that such incidents will stop, stressing that this type of behavior tarnishes the image of Algerian football and could future will have much more serious consequences. In this sense, he appeals to supporters for more calm and respect in the stadiums.
Accusations of vandalism: “A huge lie”
After the match, rumors circulated on social networks and in some media, claiming that USMK players had trashed the locker room made available to them in Tizi-Ouzou. Sofiane Khedairia strongly denies these accusations. According to him, the players were certainly disappointed with their performance, but none of them touched the furniture. He mentions a minor incident involving their president, who allegedly punched a plaster partition after an argument with another leader, causing a hole. Khedairia clarifies that this was not an act of vandalism, but an isolated incident.
“To say that we ransacked the locker room of the new Tizi Ouzou stadium is a huge lie,” he is indignant. “I don’t understand why we would want to tarnish our image like this. » For him, such rumors harm the reputation of the USMK, while the club and its players are respectful of the facilities made available to them.
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